France denies plan for military intervention in Libya

France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Monday that Western countries will not intervene to combat terrorism in the south of Libya as demanded by Niger.

Fabius told Radio Télévision Luxembourg that a military intervention is not being discussed; however, he did say that “we are going to have an international meeting in Rome at the beginning of March to give Libya more help because it’s true that there are terrorists gathering in the south.”

NATO forces intervened in Libya in 2011, playing a critical role in toppling former leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi by imposing a no-fly zone and using air power to attack his forces.