Italy Navy Anti-Migrant Mission In Libya Underway, Tensions Up

--Italian Naval Ships Authorised To Fire Back At Human Smugglers

By Silvia Marchetti

     ROME (MNI) - Italy's naval mission to Libya, aimed at stopping outgoing

migrants and human trafficking, kicked-off Thursday, following a solid-majority

approval by Rome's parliament. The move comes amid rising tensions in the

Mediterranean between authorities and NGOs.

     Two military ships will be patrolling Libyan shores in cooperation with the

coastal authorities, led by Tripoli's premier, Fayez Sarraj, whose government is

supported by the international community.

     Italy, on the frontline of the Mediterranean immigration emergency, aims to

block outgoing migrant vessels, arrest human traffickers and stop NGO ships that

are not abiding to the code of conduct defined by Rome's authorities and backed

by the European commission.

     The opposing Libyan faction in Tobruk, led by general Kalifa Haftar, has

threatened to bomb Italian "invading ships" and sees Rome's intervention as a

"violation of Libya's national sovereignty". One Italian ship is already in

Libyan waters.

     In a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, Italian Defense Minister Roberta

Pinotti and Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said that it's a bilateral mission

which envisages the right to self-defence, so if attacked by human smugglers the

Italian ships have been authorized to fire back.

     The mission, said Pinotti, is in accordance to existing international law

and follows a direct request made to Italy by Haftar in July to intervene in

Libya against migrant smugglers and to train local military and civil coastal

patrols.

     "We will offer the Libyan authorities logistic and technical support, there

will be no violation of Libya's national sovereignty," assured Pinotti.

     For the first time, Italian ships will be able to operate directly in

Libyan waters, even inside Tripoli's port, but always in coordination with local

coastal authorities.

     Italy still boasts good ties with Libya due to its "friendly" colonial past

and strong economic relations that reached a "golden era" in 2010 with then

premier Silvio Berlusconi and ex leader Muammar Gaddafi.

     Premier Paolo Gentiloni argued "we all know how much (Italian) citizens

expect from the fight against human traffickers and in the control of migratory

flows. This is not an aggressive mission, on the contrary, but it supports the

fragile sovereignty of Libya".

     Tensions in the Mediterranean are mounting. On Wednesday, Italian

authorities seized a German NGO ship that refused to abide to Italy's strict

code of conduct. According to southern prosecutors and investigators, the ship

had given support to human traffickers. More and more NGOs are also refusing to

follow the code of conduct, sponsored by Rome after other European members shut

their ports to incoming migrants.

     Two Italian fishing ships were also attacked on Wednesday night in

international waters between Libya and Tunisia. The Italian and Tunisian police

intervened, though it is not sure if the assault was led by human traffickers or

is part of the so-called "fishing war" that has been going on for several years

and has only worsened during the migration crisis.

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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