Paris: French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that his country will stick to the international campaign against Libya's longtime leader until the end.
Sarkozy on Friday said that France's military effort - central to a nearly five-month-old NATO-led operation — "will remain constant". There is no choice but to "go to the end of the mission", he added.
The UN-mandated campaign against Muammar al-Gaddafi's forces has been deadlocked for long periods, with a decreasing public support for the costly mission.
Sarkozy has been speaking to forces aboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier that has been operating off the Libyan coast for months and is crucial for the NATO campaign. The carrier would be returning to the port in Toulon on the Mediterranean for maintenance.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, August 12, 2011, 17:59