Di Maio, stop weapons and mercenaries to Libya

"It is necessary that the transfer of arms and mercenaries to Libya cease" and on this front a correct management of the Irini operation can be of help. This was stated by Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, reporting to the House and Senate joint foreign committees on the situation in Libya.

The minister reiterated "the firm condemnation expressed" for the attack near the residence of our ambassador in Tripoli led by the Haftar militias, "a sign of contempt for international rights and human life, with which all European partners have associated" .

Di Maio reported that on the ground "the escalation continues and there is a risk of an increasingly violent clash, the analysis remains valid according to which neither side is able to prevail militarily but the pursuit of the fragile truce and the ceasefire appears as a goal still difficult to achieve. "

"Needless to say, the Covid-19 health crisis - he added - has produced a general slowdown" in the political process in Libya "and right now we are giving Italy a renewed impetus. It is essential to work towards a full relaunch of the Berlin in terms of intra-Libyan dialogue, especially in the military and political spheres ".

"Italy has asked for external interference to stop and promoted" an intervention by the European Union. In this sense, according to Di Maio "an important result is the Irini operation, the mission that has as priority the control of the UN arms embargo on Libya. Italy has secured the command of the new operation. Based on this commitment we are determined to the utmost impartiality so that any violation of the embargo is publicly denounced ".

"We need an immediate de-escalation of the conflict" and "a real ceasefire. There is - I repeat - a military solution to the crisis". "Libya - he continued - is at a crucial step. The risk of further escalation of the conflict, with the increasingly massive involvement of external actors, is evident. And unfortunately it is very concrete. It is a dramatic perspective that we are trying to avoid in every way, with the tools of diplomacy. Tools that, however, do not have the time of arms ". "The lasting and sustainable stabilization of Libya - he added - remains an absolute priority for the Italian government, to protect our national interest, the future of the Libyan people and the stability of the entire Euro-Mediterranean region".

Finally Di Maio stressed that Italy is asking that "the political vacuum following Salam's resignation be filled, to which we thank you. It is necessary to proceed as soon as possible with the appointment of the new special representative of the UN secretary".