France is suspending its involvement in a NATO naval operation of Libya’s coast after a standoff with a Turkish ship and amid growing tensions within the military alliance over Libya.
France’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that France sent a letter Tuesday to NATO saying it is suspending its participation in Sea Guardian "temporarily."
A ministry officials said France wants NATO allies to "solemnly reaffirm their attachment" to the arms embargo on Libya. France has accused Turkey of repeated violations of the U.N. arms embargo on conflict-torn Libya and branded the Turkish government in Ankara as an obstacle to securing a cease-fire in the North African nation.
France is also calling for crisis mechanism to prevent a repeat of an incident earlier this month between Turkish warships and a French naval vessel in the Mediterranean. NATO is investigating what happened.
AP
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