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22 June 2020 The recent naval accidents that have opposed France and Turkey are "one of the best demonstrations" of NATO's "brain death", already reported last year. French President Emmanuel Macron said this after a meeting with his Tunisian colleague, speaking of an "intolerable" situation. 

In recent days Ankara and Paris had come to a close for a naval confrontation in the Mediterranean, as part of a NATO operation in Libya.

Macron: Turkey is playing a dangerous game in Libya
Previously, Macron had denounced Turkey's "dangerous game" in Libya, which he said is a direct threat to the region and Europe. "I believe that Turkey is playing a dangerous game in Libya and is violating all of its commitments made at the Berlin conference," he warned.

The French president said he made "the same speech" during a telephone conversation this afternoon with US president Donald Trump. "It is in the interest of Libya, its neighbors, the whole region but also Europe," he added. Macron also called for "an end to foreign interference and unilateral actions by those who claim to conquer new positions through war" in Libya.

Turkey has become the main international supporter of the national unity government of Tripoli (Gna), which at the beginning of June regained control of all north-western Libya by withdrawing the forces of General Khalifa Haftar. The forces of the Gna now target the coastal city of Sirte (450 km east of Tripoli), a strategic location in the east controlled by Marshal Haftar. On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned that any pro-Gna advance to Sirte could lead to "direct" intervention from Cairo. Gna, recognized by the UN, has called Egypt's threats a "declaration of war".