By John Lee.
France's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Jean-Marc Ayrault (pictured), spoke by phone on Thursday with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj and Martin Kobler, the UN Secretary-General’s special representative.
He applauded the progress made in the political process with the establishment of the Libyan Prime Minister and members of the Presidential Council in Tripoli.
He hailed Mr. Sarraj’s courage and the high caliber of the work achieved in the past year by the UN Support Mission in Libya led by Mr. Kobler.
The foreign minister reaffirmed France’s total determination to support the national unity government. He reiterated that France is prepared to respond to requests for help from Mr. Sarraj’s government, particularly in the area of security, in cooperation with its partners and the UN.
He expressed his wish for the French ambassador go to Tripoli as soon as possible to support the national unity government.
According to a report from News24, he also said that France is considering reopening its embassy in Libya, but added that the building was currently empty and "preparatory work" is needed.
(Sources: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, News24)
