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REUTERS
PARIS
FRANCE stuck to its position pushing for elections in Libya by the end of the year on Thursday, a day after Italy and the UN-backed government in Tripoli sowed doubts on the electoral calendar, citing a worsening security situation.
Former colonial power Italy and France have been competing for influence in war-torn Libya, rich in oil and gas and a staging post for people smugglers who have launched tens of thousands of migrants across the Mediterranean sea towards Europe in past years.
Libya splintered following the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled Moamer Qadhafi, and since 2014 has been divided between competing political and military groups based in Tripoli and the east. Seeking to end the turmoil, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a conference in May where rival Libyan factions agreed to work with the United Nations for a national election by Dec 10.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Fayez Seraj, who had agreed to the roadmap, said conditions in his country were too unstable to hold elections.
Those comments were echoed by Italy's Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi who was quoted by state news agency as saying the date should be reconsidered."We are in disagreement with the position of the French government, which, as was decided in Paris, says the elections in Libya must be held on December 10," he said.
