Britain, France and Italy urged their European partners on Monday to move the EU's Mediterranean naval mission into Libyan waters, if requested by a new government in Tripoli, to stop a new tide of migrants and uphold a U.N. arms embargo.
An expanded naval mission would be part of the EU's emerging support plan for Libya, which EU foreign and defence ministers discussed over dinner in Luxembourg, and could see Europe return to the country with 100 million euros ($113 million) in aid.
The mission could also work with the U.S.-led NATO alliance to build up a Libyan coastguard capable of stopping traffickers, but the European Union says it cannot act until the United Nations-backed Libyan government invites it to do so.
"It is indispensable to ensure Libya's stability, the security of Libyans and also its borders," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, after a weekend visit to Tripoli.
"We must do all we can to fight against the human smugglers and arms trafficking," he told reporters, referring to the United Nations arms embargo on Libya, in place since 2011
