Trump administration pushes ahead with plans to reopen the US embassy in Libya
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department is telling Congress it plans to move forward with potentially reopening the U.S. Embassy in Libya and is proposing to allocate about $41 million to reestablish America’s official diplomatic presence in the North African country after a nearly 14-year hiatus.
The department told lawmakers Monday that the money would cover “a range of security-related activities associated with plans for the potential phased resumption of embassy operations in Libya,” according to a copy of the notification obtained by The Associated Press.
It said the move to reopen the embassy was “necessary to advance the national security interests of the United States.” “The United States must continue to engage in regions where near-peer rivals and other adversarial actors are actively expanding their influence.”
“Libya’s strategic location in the Mediterranean and its role in regional security, energy markets and migration flows make it vital to US interests,” the statement said. “The country’s instability has led to increased intervention by near-peer rivals, particularly Russia, that threatens U.S. and allied objectives in North Africa.”
Libyan officials representing both the western and eastern parts of the country, which have been in conflict for more than a decade, recently met with senior Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior Africa adviser Massad Boulos.
The State Department told Congress in March that it was considering beginning preparations for the potential reopening of the embassy in Tripoli, which was closed in July 2014 due to the conflict engulfing the country. Since then, US diplomats assigned to Libya have been serving in neighboring Tunisia and the Mediterranean island of Malta.
But until Monday, the department had yet to program any money to support the effort. The new funding will be used to greatly expand the security posture of a satellite office in Tripoli that currently handles brief visits by U.S. diplomats and other officials, paving the way for a permanent presence.
The move to fund the project comes as the Trump administration reopened the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, following the ouster of former President Nicolas Maduro in January and seeks to reopen the shuttered embassy in Damascus, Syria, to establish relations with the new Syrian government.
But it also comes at a time when there are new warnings about attacks on US facilities by Iran in line with its interests around the world, especially in the Middle East.
