Former Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was the only person capable of keeping Libya united, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said in an interview with the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram.
"France, Britain and the US were interested in what we now call the 'Arab Spring'. However they lacked a cohesive strategy for the political and social development of those countries after the regime change and they made a mistake in the case of Libya. Sure, Gaddafi was a dictator and made many mistakes, but he was the only who could save Libya. Now we are witnessing anarchy, violence and Islamic extremist groups unleashed there," the politician said.
Berlusconi also believes that if Islamists take power in Libya it would be a "catastrophe" for the Mediterranean Region.
Libya has been in a state of turmoil since 2011, when the Arab Spring protests led to a civil war and the overthrow of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The situation resulted in a duality of power with an elected parliament in the city of Tobruk and a pro-Islamist General National Congress in the capital Tripoli. What is more, according to certain data, some parts of the country are not controlled by the authorities and are being seized by militants of the Islamic State terrorist group.
