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France is temporarily pulling out of a NATO naval operation in the Mediterranean, in a move that indicates there was not enough support from the alliance following an aggressive encounter with Turkish ships last month.
French Ambassador to NATO Muriel Domenach sent a letter on Tuesday to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg notifying him of the decision to pull out of Operation Sea Guardian, meant to control an arms embargo on Libya.
In it she said a NATO report into an incident between a French ship and a Turkish ship in mid-June “did not establish the facts,” according to a French defense ministry official. The report is classified and has not been made public.
NATO did not confirm the letter — which was first reported by French paper L’Opinion — or France’s temporary withdrawal, and a spokesman referred questions to the French government.
The alliance’s political leaders have struggled to maintain a display of unity in recent years amid at times vicious infighting, including loud gripes by U.S. President Donald Trump over meager military spending and criticism from French President Emmanuel Macron over lack of coordination and Turkish unilateral actions.
“France, which has received little public support from NATO allies in its escalating conflict with Turkey, is making its return to Operation Sea Guardian conditional.”
“It’s a very clear political move that shines a light on the fundamental ambiguity of an anti-smuggling operation that includes smugglers,” the French official said in reference to Turkey. “What we are asking for is a clarification of the rules of behavior.”
France, which has received little public support from NATO allies in its escalating conflict with Turkey, is making its return to Operation Sea Guardian conditional on four demands: that NATO allies reaffirm their commitment to the arms embargo; outlaw the use of NATO call signs when ships are on national operations; improve coordination between Sea Guardian and the EU Operation IRINI (which is also meant to enforce the Libya embargo); and the setting up of a mechanism to defuse conflict and avoid incidents among allies.
Turkey has been blocking NATO-EU coordination in the enforcement of the embargo in the Mediterranean and is accused of using the NATO call sign while its ships escort cargo transporting vast amounts of weapons to the U.N.-recognized government led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, in contravention of a U.N. arms embargo.
On June 10, the French frigate Le Courbet, operating under NATO command, attempted to inquire about the intended destination of a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship, the Cirkin, but was aggressively barred from doing so by three Turkish naval ships escorting the Cirkin, according to French officials.
The Cirkin was suspected by NATO Maritime Command of transporting weapons to Libya.
According to French officials, the Turkish ships went as far as flashing their radar lights three times in the space of a few seconds, a manoeuvre that usually precedes the firing of weapons. They also said Turkish sailors were seen wearing bullet-proof vests and standing behind their weapons.
But Turkey disputes that version of events and says the NATO investigation does not back France’s claims.
“According to the information that I have [the NATO report] is not conclusive,” Turkish Ambassador to France Ismaïl Hakki Musa told a French Senate hearing on Wednesday. “It appears the NATO experts aren’t reaching the same conclusion [as the French].”
On June 17 and 18, French Defense Minister Florence Parly lodged a complaint at a NATO ministerial meeting and only got the support of eight allies out of a total of 30, for its criticism of Turkey’s behavior. The U.S. and U.K. notably were not among its supporters.
