France: Security conditions not right to reopen Libya embassy

France’s foreign ministry said today security conditions were still not right to reopen its embassy in Libya despite a claim by the prime minister of a UN-backed government there that Paris wanted to restore its diplomatic mission soon.

France closed its embassy in Tripoli in 2014 amid growing instability in the North African country, but Fayez Al-Sarraj, the head of the Government of National Accord (GNA), said in a statement on Tuesday that new President Emmanuel Macron had promised him to reopen the embassy “as early as possible”.

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“Our embassy for Libya is currently located in Tunis. We would like that it reopens in Tripoli as soon as security conditions are right,” foreign ministry spokesman, Romain Nadal, told a daily news briefing, adding that the current French envoy was making regular trips to Libya.

Macron’s office issued a release yesterday, two days after the talks with Al-Sarraj, saying that Paris continued to support his government and wanted a stable and united Libya on the basis of a political agreement between rival factions.

It made no mention of the embassy.

Italy reopened its embassy in Tripoli earlier this year making it the first Western diplomatic mission to return to the divided country.