WASHINGTON (SW): Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron are partly to blame for the current “mess” in Libya, US President Barack Obama has said in comments likely to upset two of his country’s closest allies.
In an extensive interview with The Atlantic magazine published Thursday, President Obama discussed the conditions surrounding the 2011 British and French-led NATO bombing campaign that led to the end of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s 41-year-rule.
Obama believes that while deeper than expected Libyian “tribal divisions” are partly to blame, it was largely the failure of France and the UK to “follow-up” on the bombing campaign that led to the current situation.
“There's room for criticism because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up,” he told the magazine. Sarkozy wanted to ‘trumpet’ own role, he added. Cameron stopped paying attention soon after the military operation, he said, becoming "distracted by a range of other things".
Obama’s remarks on Libya came amid a wide-ranging interview with The Atlantic that largely focused on the president’s foreign policy since taking office seven years ago, including his controversial decision not to take direct military action in Syria following President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons.
A subsequent deal that saw Assad hand over Syria’s chemical weapon stockpile showed that was the right call, said Obama.
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