France dispelled worries that the government would pull out of a NATO-led mission in Libya after nearly five months, by saying it was to maintain its role in the North African country until the end of the mission. French President Nicolas Sarkozy says his country would stick with the international campaign against Libya's longtime leader until the end, even as pressure mounts against the bombing campaign the ongoing civil war on the ground in Libya. Sarkozy said Friday that France's military effort, central to the nearly five-month-old NATO-led operation, “will remain constant.” He said there is no choice but to “go to the end of the mission.” The United Nations-mandated campaign against Muammar Gaddafi's forces has been deadlocked for long periods, and public support for the costly mission has waned. Sarkozy was speaking to forces aboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which was operating off the Libyan coast for months and has been vital to the NATO campaign. The carrier is returning to port in Toulon on the Mediterranean for maintenance. His comments come after Libyan rebels claim they had taken over parts of the hotly contested Brega on Thursday. BM
