Libya summons US chargé d’affaires over Trump’s ‘offensive’ remarks
- Foreign Ministry hands US diplomat formal protest note, demands clarification and correction of remarks about Libya and its people
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- Foreign Ministry hands US diplomat formal protest note, demands clarification and correction of remarks about Libya and its people
By Muetaz Wannes and Rania Abushamala
TRIPOLI, Libya / ISTANBUL (AA) - The Libyan Foreign Ministry summoned the US charge d’affaires in Tripoli on Sunday to deliver a formal protest note over President Donald Trump’s remarks deemed “offensive” to Libya and its people.
The ministry said in a statement that it summoned the diplomat to its headquarters to convey its objections to the remarks.
It demanded clarification of Trump’s comments and correction of their content.
Libya is “a sovereign state” and “rejects any statements that undermine the dignity of its people or diminish its standing, or that draw Libya and its people into electoral disputes and domestic political calculations,” the ministry said.
It stressed that mutual respect, safeguarding national sovereignty and adherence to diplomatic norms are firmly established foundations of relations between states.
Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of forces in the country’s east, also called for a clear official Libyan response, including conveying a diplomatic protest to Washington and demanding that the offense be addressed “in a manner proportionate to its gravity.”
“Libya is an independent, sovereign state, and its national dignity comes above all considerations. We cannot accept it being subjected to insult or disparagement under any circumstances or political justification,” Haftar wrote on US social media platform Facebook.
He said maintaining cooperation and friendship with the US does not conflict with upholding mutual respect as the foundation of relations between states.
The reactions followed remarks Trump made Saturday during an election rally in Perry, in the US state of Georgia.
Trump accused Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of backing a bill that would bring migrants from what he described as “terror-infested countries”, naming Libya, Yemen, Haiti, and Somalia.
Responding to the comments, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah rejected the remarks and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to relations with the US based on mutual respect.
“Libya is a sovereign state, and we reject any insult to it or its people, who have made great sacrifices in fighting terrorism,” Dbeibah said in a statement on Facebook on Sunday.
“We will not accept the dignity of Libya and its people becoming material for electoral disputes,” he added.
Trump’s Republican Party is preparing to contest the US congressional midterm elections scheduled for Nov. 3.
Libyan-US relations have recently seen efforts to strengthen economic and security cooperation, alongside Washington’s involvement in efforts to resolve Libya’s political crisis.
Rania R.a. Abushamala