Moammar Gadhafi's government in Libya suspended diplomatic ties with France after Paris officially recognized the opposition council battling to topple his regime.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Qaid told reporters in Tripoli that "Libya decided to suspend its ties with France," and he accused the French government of seeking to divide Libya.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has defended the promise to exchange ambassadors with the Interim Governing Council, an umbrella group of Gadhafi opponents based in the eastern city of Benghazi. His decision miffed some European leaders because it came on the eve of a European Union summit intended to decide on a common strategy.

Delegates at the summit also politically supported Libya's opposition council. But they stopped short of giving it full diplomatic recognition.

In Tripoli, Qaid said: "The intentions and the interest of the French government is only to divide Libya. This is clear."

He asserted that 85 per cent of the country is under government control, The Associated Press reports.