Updated 1418 GMT (2218 HKT) March 11, 2016
(CNN)President Barack Obama is sharing his harsh assessment of his current and former European counterparts following the 2011 NATO-led intervention in Libya that resulted in the death of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
In a profile published Thursday in The Atlantic, the President told author Jeffrey Goldberg that British Prime Minister David Cameron became "distracted by a range of other things" after the operation. Cameron, along with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, took the brunt of Obama's criticism.
Although
Obama thinks the intervention went as well as it could, he views Libya
today as a "mess." Privately, according to the article, he refers to the
troubled state as a "sh*t show."
In a
statement to CNN, a National Security Council spokesman tried to
qualify Obama's remarks and reassure that the alliance between the
United Kingdom and United States remains strong.
"Prime
Minister Cameron has been as close a partner as the president has had,
and we deeply value the UK's contributions on our shared national
security and foreign policy objectives which reflect our special and
essential relationship," spokesman Ned Price said.
In
The Atlantic, Obama said he had more faith in Europeans "being invested
in a follow-up" given their geographical "proximity" and largely blames
their inaction for the "mess."
On
Libya, Price mentioned that Obama has previously said and continues to
believe that "all of us -- including the United States -- could have
done more in the aftermath of the Libyan intervention." Price said that
the UK has "stepped up on a range of issues," including pressing fellow
NATO members to increase defense spending.
Price noted it isn't the first time Obama publicly critiqued the Libya intervention. Price pointed to his September remarks at the U.N. General Assembly, where the President said, "Our coalition could have and should have done more to fill a vacuum left behind."
Cameron's office said Friday that it welcomed Price's statement.
"The
White House (has) been clear that the Prime Minister has been as close a
partner as the President has had, and they deeply value the UK's
contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy
initiatives," a Downing Street statement said.
Cameron's
office agreed "that there are still many difficult challenges in Libya"
but stressed that intervening and "coming to the aid of innocent
civilians who were being tortured and killed by their leader was the
right thing to do."
"And since the civil war,
we have sought to support the people of Libya and stability in that
country," the statement said. "And we are working hard to support the
U.N.-led process to establish a stable and inclusive government that
will allow them to build a peaceful future. But ultimately a positive
outcome for Libya is not just up to the international community -- this
process needs to be led by the Libyan people."
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