Libya summons US chargé d'affaires over Trump remarks

Libya's Foreign Ministry has summoned the US chargé d'affaires in Tripoli to formally protest remarks by former US President Donald Trump, which the ministry described as "offensive" to the Libyan people.

The ministry reiterated its strong rejection of any statements that undermine the dignity or status of the Libyan people, and objected to Libya being used in internal US election debates.

Trump, speaking at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia on Saturday, claimed that US Senator Jon Ossoff had "personally sponsored a bill to bring hordes of migrants from terror-plagued countries like Libya, Yemen, Haiti, and Somalia," adding, "Do you remember what I call them? Dirty countries."

Earlier on Sunday, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, Prime Minister of Libya's Government of National Unity, also rejected any insult to Libya and its people, stressing on Facebook that Libya is a sovereign state whose people have made great sacrifices in fighting terrorism.

Dbeibah emphasized Libya's commitment to its relationship with the United States based on mutual respect, and rejected the use of Libya's dignity as a topic in election debates.

The High Council of State in Libya also sent a message to Trump, rejecting any insult to the Libyan people or any undermining of their dignity and the country's sovereignty.

In a statement on Sunday titled "Libya will not be insulted... and history does not bow to the arrogant," the council said that a nation's standing is not measured by its wealth or military power, but by its history and the dignity of its people, and that possessing arms and wealth does not give any country or leader the right to belittle others.

The council added that differences in policies and interests do not justify undermining the dignity of peoples, and that respect is a fundamental right, not a privilege granted by a president or imposed by force.

For his part, Lieutenant General Saddam Haftar, Deputy Commander of the Libyan Army, also condemned Trump's remarks, describing them as offensive to Libya and its people.

Haftar wrote on Facebook that election debates or domestic political considerations do not justify insulting nations or peoples or undermining their dignity, stressing that Libya is an independent, sovereign state whose national dignity is paramount.

He called on the relevant Libyan authorities to take necessary diplomatic measures, including officially notifying the US side of the protest and demanding an appropriate response to the offense.