Libya 'regrets' French vote to extend intervention

Libya regrets a vote by the French parliament on Tuesday to prolong France's military intervention in the north African country, government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said. "We regret the vote of French elected officials. We had hoped representatives of the French people consider the situation in Libya in a realistic way, ignoring the lies of the government and media," Ibrahim told AFP. "The Libyan government has never committed crimes against civilians. It derives its legitimacy from the people and that's why it has resisted the NATO strikes for over 115 days," he said. France has spearheaded the Western diplomatic and military response to a crackdown by Moamer Kadhafi's regime on a popular uprising. In the National Assembly, nearly 500 deputies from President Nicolas Sarkozy's right-wing majority and the opposition Socialists voted to extend the campaign, with just 27 lawmakers voting against. The French upper house of parliament, the Senate, was also expected to back continuing intervention in a vote later Tuesday.