Libya - Q&A - Excerpts from the daily press briefing (05.02.19)
Q : Violence has been erupting in southern Libya for a few days now. What is your analysis of the situation on the ground? Is there a risk of destabilization in the region?
A : Recent operations by the Libyan National Army made it possible to eliminate major terrorist targets and could disrupt, on a long-term basis, the activities of the human traffickers who are continuing to plague this region, between the Sahel and the Mediterranean. These operations also included oil fields. In this respect, France reaffirms that oil is a national resource, the exploitation of which must benefit all Libyans and remain the monopoly of the National Oil Corporation based in Tripoli.
France is attached to the unity, sovereignty and independence of Libya. It supports all Libyan forces fighting against terrorism. It reaffirms that the goal is the unification of the country’s political, economic and security institutions under the authority of a civilian government, legitimized by elections. This is what the Libyan people want, and it is what UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé is working toward, with our full support.