Senator John McCain made his fifth visit to Libya since the fall of Qadhafi on April 4, meeting with Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan, President of the General National Congress Mohamed Magarief, other officials, and NGOs. Top among the issues they discussed were the ongoing investigation into the death of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, and the future of U.S.-Libya defense cooperation.When the Libya Herald asked Senator McCain to explain U.S. policy in providing security assistance, he replied that the “US will help with training and equipment…only if it were requested by the Libyan government – as determined by the needs of the Libyan government and Libyan people”. Any such technical assistance would not include U.S. troops on the ground acting as Libyan defense forces. Apparently there have been rumors on social media sites that NATO forces will return to Libya to make up for the shortcomings in Libya's own military - leading to the Prime Minister's office issuing a statement denying any such rumors.Hopefully the U.S. government will continue to provide security assistance to Libya - vital to both the security of the Mediterranean and the Sahel - when requested.
John McCain in Libya