Algeria says all military actions in Libya should respect int'l legitimacy

Algeria said on Sunday that any military intervention or anti-terror operation in violence-ridden Libya should be carried out within the framework of the international legitimacy, in reference to recent U.S. air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in the North African country that left dozens dead.

"The fight against terrorism in Libya should be carried out within the framework of international legitimacy, as well as the respect for sovereignty, security and stability of this country," Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra told reporters in Algiers following a meeting with visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon.

On Friday, U.S. warplanes carried out air raids against an IS training camp in northern Libya, killing some 40 people, according to local media reports.

Some Western nations have recently called for initiating a military intervention in Libya to chase out the IS militants.

Friday's air strikes are seen as an introduction to ground military intervention.

The top Algerian diplomat noted that Washington and Algiers both support "a peaceful and political solution to the Libyan crisis," stressing "the importance to uphold political solutions to all crises and conflicts hitting our region."

Thomas Shannon, for his part, said he discussed with his Algerian counterpart the situation in Libya, including "the fight against terrorism and helping Libyans establish a national unity government and its institutions to exercise their sovereignty and meet future challenges."

Algeria has been reinforcing military presence on the 1,000-km borderline with Libya. Security has been beefed up around oil and gas plants to thwart any potential terror attack, similar to that of 2013 in In-Amenas gas plant, near Libyan border, which left more than 30 foreign workers dead.

Algeria fears that military strikes against strongholds of rebel groups would force them to change their positions by sneaking to its territory.

Yet, Algeria is working closely with neighbors in a bid to avoid a foreign military intervention, by encouraging Libyan warring parties to stick to the political process.

Libya has been suffering a security vacuum with increased dominance of extremists since the fall and death of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country has been plagued with escalating violence and political division. In late 2015, the Libyan rivals reached a peace accord following UN-sponsored talks held in the Moroccan resort of Skhirat. Endit