Photo: Gary Denham, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Libya's foreign ministry summoned the US chargé d'affaires on Sunday and handed over a formal protest note over remarks by President Donald Trump, who described Libya as "terror-infested" at a campaign rally a day earlier. The ministry said it rejected any statements that "undermine the dignity of its people or diminish their standing," and demanded an official clarification and correction of the remarks.
The protest was triggered by Trump's appearance on Saturday at a midterm rally in Perry, Georgia, where he attacked Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff over immigration. "(US Senator) Jon Ossoff personally sponsored a bill to bring armies of migrants from terror-infested countries like Libya, Yemen, Haiti, Somalia. Remember what I called them? Shithouse countries," Trump said, in a reference to remarks he made during his first term.
A formal protest in Tripoli
The foreign ministry of the Government of National Unity in Tripoli said it had summoned the American envoy to deliver the protest in person. In its statement, the ministry stressed that Libya is a sovereign state and that respect for sovereignty, diplomatic norms and mutual respect form the foundation of relations between countries. It also rejected any attempt to drag Libya into electoral debates and internal political calculations in the United States.
The condemnation went well beyond the ministry. Libya's Presidential Council said it "categorically rejects" the remarks, calling them an affront to the dignity of the Libyan people, and said it had directed the foreign ministry to summon the head of the US diplomatic mission. The council said it would pursue the matter through diplomatic channels until there is an explicit apology and a correction, recalling the treaties of peace and friendship the two countries signed in 1796 and 1805. The speaker of Libya's House of Representatives likewise condemned the remarks and called on Trump to offer an explicit and clear apology.
Anger in both east and west
Libya has been split between rival administrations in Tripoli and the east for a decade, and the two sides agree on little. The Government of National Unity in Tripoli is the administration recognised by the United Nations and by most Western capitals, including Washington. This weekend the rivals spoke with one voice: both denounced Trump's comments and rejected Libya being used as material in America's electoral debates.
The foreign affairs committee of the eastern-based parliament said the remarks contradicted the principles of mutual respect and diplomatic responsibility and demanded an official clarification from Washington, emphasizing that Libya is "a sovereign state with an ancient history and a rich cultural heritage that cannot be reduced to fleeting descriptions or preconceived judgments."
Trump responds
Trump answered on Sunday night with a post on Truth Social that mixed praise with a hard line on migration. He said the United States was committed to its ties with Libya and called its people "proud, resilient, hospitable, and deserving of peace and prosperity."
"We respect the Libyan people and the sacrifices that brave Libyans made fighting ISIS, the common enemy of both our peoples, but Libya cannot remain a corridor for illegal migration, and this must end now," he wrote. Libya sits across the Mediterranean from Europe and is a major departure point for migrants crossing to Italy, an issue Trump has made central to his midterm campaigning on behalf of Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 elections.
Sources: Reuters, Saudi Gazette, Libyan News Agency (LANA)