THE foreign ministers of France, Italy and Germany arrived in Libya today to present a united front in support of the country’s new transitional government.

The three stressed that foreign fighters and mercenaries should immediately leave the country to allow a ceasefire agreement to take hold.

The trip by the three ministers was symbolic as France and Italy have backed different sides in Libya’s civil war, with French oil firm Total and Italy’s ENI signing contracts with the Tobruk-based regime and the UN-backed government in Tripoli respectively. The Tripoli administration accused France of launching air strikes in support of rebel General Khalifa Haftar, while caches of French weaponry were found in camps abandoned by his troops during a counter-offensive by jihadists deployed by Turkey.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the withdrawal of foreign forces – 20,000 are believed to be in Libya – was key for it to “finally turn the page after so many years of crisis.”

Libya has been at war since Nato intervened to overthrow the Muammar Gadaffi government in 2010.