Libya has decided to suspend diplomatic ties with France, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said at a press conference on Friday.

Kaim said that the Libyan government was indignant over France' s decision on Thursday to recognize Libya's rebel authorities in the eastern city of Benghazi.

He said that France has been "concentrating" on the division of Libya, adding that the government's legitimacy did not "come from (French President Nicolas) Sarkozy's mouth but from Libyan people. "

The Libyan government announced on Thursday that it might sever ties with France and other Western countries after Paris recognized the rebel National Libyan Council as "legitimate representative" of the Libyan people, according to Libya's official news agency.

France was the first country to recognize the national council and said it would exchange ambassadors between Paris and Benghazi, an eastern Libyan city which is held by rebels.