Italy, Germany to mediate truce in Libya

 

Xinhua, March 28, 2011

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Italy and Germany were ready to launch a roadmap for a peacebuilding process in Libya, local media reported on Sunday.

The plan envisages an immediate ceasefire to be monitored by the United Nations, a permanent "humanitarian corridor" running through Turkey to ensure aid to refugees and involvement of all tribal groups in the drafting of Libya's constitution, Frattini told the local daily La Repubblica.

The minister also stressed the importance of strengthening the role of the Arab League and the African Union in Libya's nation-building phase.

He said the Italy-Germany document's ultimate goal was to consolidate a common European Union (EU) position with regard to the Libyan crisis and ease differences among member states.

"During these hard days Europe seems to have lost some of its pieces, but we don't want to leave Germany behind and an evolution towards a Libyan ceasefire will facilitate Germany's involvement," he said.

Frattini stressed that Italy wanted all military interventions in Libya under one single command, and said the country was against the so-called "coalition of the willing" sponsored by France.

"So far we have had three different commands: the U.S.-Italian, the French and the British, but on Monday the NATO will take over the leadership of all operations. Italy's participation in the ' coalition of the willing' was an urgent but temporary measure," he said.

Italy has offered the use of seven air and naval bases for the Libyan operation and has assigned eight combat aircraft to the military operations.