Obama hits out at Cameron, Sarkozy over Libya intervention

IS expanding in Libya, fueling arms race

AFP, WASHINGTON: In a rare public rebuke of two of Washington’s closest allies, President Barack Obama has hit out at British Prime Minister leader David Cameron and former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy over their roles in Libya after the fall of the Kadhafi regime.
Cameron became “distracted” and Sarkozy wanted to promote his country during the 2011 NATO-led military intervention in Libya, Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine published Thursday.
British daily The Independent Friday called Obama’s comments “an unprecedented attack on a British leader by a serving US President,” while The Times called the criticism “extraordinary.”
In the extensive interview, Obama discussed the conditions surrounding the British and French-led bombing campaign that led to the fall of Moamer Kadhafi’s regime.
Obama said when he considered what went wrong in Libya, “there’s room for criticism because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya’s proximity, being invested in the follow-up.”
Cameron stopped paying attention soon after the military operation, he said, becoming “distracted by a range of other things.”
Since Kadhafi’s downfall, Libya has descended into near-anarchy, ruled by rival militias vying for power while the Islamic State group has gained influence in the country.
Contacted by AFP, a spokesman for Cameron said: “We agree that there are still many difficult challenges in Libya.
“But as the prime minister has said many times before, coming to the aid of innocent civilians who were being tortured and killed by their leader was the right thing to do,” he said.
The spokesman said Britain supported peace efforts in Libya “but ultimately a positive outcome for Libya is not just up to the international community.
“This process needs to be led by the Libyan people.”
Despite the strong reaction in the British press, Britain’s former ambassador to Washington Christopher Meyer said on Twitter that it was a “storm in a diplomatic teacup.”
Britain puts strong emphasis on its diplomatic “special relationship” with the United States, and The Times said Cameron was hoping for Obama’s support for his pro-EU stance ahead of a membership referendum on June 23.
Obama was also critical of France, saying Sarkozy during the bombing campaign wanted to “trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign, despite the fact that we had wiped out all the air defenses and essentially set up the entire infrastructure” for the operation.
Britain joined France in bombing Libya to help rebels fighting Kadhafi.
Both Cameron and Sarkozy have faced strong criticism domestically for the chaos that ensued.
Meanwhile, the Islamic State group has significantly expanded its control over Libya, fueling demand by the country’s warring parties for more arms to confront the threat, UN experts have told the Security Council.
IS has successfully recruited young men from local tribes, offering them protection and benefits but it has also enlisted military officers from the former regime of Moamer Kadhafi, said the report by the panel of experts who report to a UN sanctions committee.
IS jihadists have cemented their hold on the coastal city of Sirte, wiping out opposition and the group is “currently the most significant political and military actor in the region,” said the report which was submitted to the council on Wednesday.
The extremist group has also made inroads in Tripoli and in the western city of Sabrata, boosting its presence through local recruitment and foreign fighters who transit through Turkey and Tunisia.
Extremists from sub-Saharan Africa have traveled through Sudan to join IS ranks in Sirte and Benghazi, the report said, confirming fears that the Libyan IS branch is seeking to draw recruits from other parts of the continent.
“The political and security vacuum has been further exploited by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which has significantly expanded its control over territory,” the report said.
The report did not provide estimates of the number of IS fighters in Libya.
Libya was thrown into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime dictator Kadhafi in 2011.

 

Obama hits out at Cameron, Sarkozy over Libya intervention

IS expanding in Libya, fueling arms race

AFP, WASHINGTON: In a rare public rebuke of two of Washingtons closest allies, President Barack Obama has hit out at British Prime Minister leader David Cameron and former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy over their roles in Libya after the fall of the Kadhafi regime. Cameron became distracted and Sarkozy wanted to promote his country during the 2011 NATO-led military intervention in Libya, Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine published Thursday. British daily The Independent Friday called Obamas comments an unprecedented attack on a British leader by a serving US President, while The Times called the criticism extraordinary. In the extensive interview, Obama discussed the conditions surrounding the British and French-led bombing campaign that led to the fall of Moamer Kadhafis regime. Obama said when he considered what went wrong in Libya, theres room for criticism because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libyas proximity, being invested in the follow-up. Cameron stopped paying attention soon after the military operation, he said, becoming distracted by a range of other things. Since Kadhafis downfall, Libya has descended into near-anarchy, ruled by rival militias vying for power while the Islamic State group has gained influence in the country. Contacted by AFP, a spokesman for Cameron said: We agree that there are still many difficult challenges in Libya. But as the prime minister has said many times before, coming to the aid of innocent civilians who were being tortured and killed by their leader was the right thing to do, he said. The spokesman said Britain supported peace efforts in Libya but ultimately a positive outcome for Libya is not just up to the international community. This process needs to be led by the Libyan people. Despite the strong reaction in the British press, Britains former ambassador to Washington Christopher Meyer said on Twitter that it was a storm in a diplomatic teacup. Britain puts strong emphasis on its diplomatic special relationship with the United States, and The Times said Cameron was hoping for Obamas support for his pro-EU stance ahead of a membership referendum on June 23. Obama was also critical of France, saying Sarkozy during the bombing campaign wanted to trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign, despite the fact that we had wiped out all the air defenses and essentially set up the entire infrastructure for the operation. Britain joined France in bombing Libya to help rebels fighting Kadhafi. Both Cameron and Sarkozy have faced strong criticism domestically for the chaos that ensued. Meanwhile, the Islamic State group has significantly expanded its control over Libya, fueling demand by the countrys warring parties for more arms to confront the threat, UN experts have told the Security Council. IS has successfully recruited young men from local tribes, offering them protection and benefits but it has also enlisted military officers from the former regime of Moamer Kadhafi, said the report by the panel of experts who report to a UN sanctions committee. IS jihadists have cemented their hold on the coastal city of Sirte, wiping out opposition and the group is currently the most significant political and military actor in the region, said the report which was submitted to the council on Wednesday. The extremist group has also made inroads in Tripoli and in the western city of Sabrata, boosting its presence through local recruitment and foreign fighters who transit through Turkey and Tunisia. Extremists from sub-Saharan Africa have traveled through Sudan to join IS ranks in Sirte and Benghazi, the report said, confirming fears that the Libyan IS branch is seeking to draw recruits from other parts of the continent. The political and security vacuum has been further exploited by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which has significantly expanded its control over territory, the report said. The report did not provide estimates of the number of IS fighters in Libya. Libya was thrown into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime dictator Kadhafi in 2011.