Diplomatic and Military Affairs
Sarkozy, Cameron plan to visit Libya Thursday
Updated: 2011-09-15 07:04
(Xinhua)
PARIS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron were planning to visit Libya on Thursday, the AFP said Wednesday, quoting a source involved in preparing for the visit.
The Elysee Palace didn't confirm the news, neither did it show the plan on the president's agenda. But if it is real, this would be the first visit of foreign leaders to Libya after the rebels ousted Muammar Gadhafi from power.
French right-wing daily Le Figaro said Sarkozy, accompanied by Cameron and French philosopher Bernard-Henry Levy, who were active supporters of the Libya war initiated by France, would have stops in both Tripoli and Benghazi, both now under the control of Libya rebel authority.
According to the website of the French magazine Marianne, some 160 police were leaving for a "security" mission in Libya, and two planes have also left France in late Wednesday afternoon for the same reason.
During the meeting of Libya rebel supporters in Paris last month, Sarkozy said he would like to visit Libya when circumstances allowed but put the arrest of Gadhafi as a precondition. For the moment, there is no news about the whereabouts of Gadhafi.
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