According to him, the move will further add to the militarization of the Sigonella base.
He said that even the deployment of unarmed Global Hawk drones to Sicily nine years ago, was not quite in line with the nation's constitutional provisions limiting the use of Italian military facilities to self-defense, given that their task is to detect targets for bombers.
"Even if they do not carry missiles, they can be called a weapon of attack, destruction, and the first strike," Mazzeo said. Article 11 of the 1948 Italian Constitution states that “Italy repudiates war as an instrument offending the liberty of the peoples and as a means for settling international disputes.”
His remarks came after Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti confirmed earlier this week that the United States had been given permission to use the Sigonella base to carry out drone strikes on Daesh targets in Libya.
#Italy asked #US to use armed drones in #Sicily only for defensive missions in #Libya, #Niger drone base won't likely have that restriction
— Olivier Guitta (@OlivierGuitta) 22 февраля 2016 г.
Mazzeo referred to a US-Italian agreement which was signed back in January 2013 which stipulated the use of at least six combat Predator drones, not only in Libya, but also in Niger, Mali, and the Horn of Africa region.
With the Sigonella base already being turned into a real springboard for destruction and death, the Italian parliament prefers to keep mum on the matter, Mazzeo said.
"There has never been a parliamentary inquiry into the subject in Italy. Ordinary Italians were deprived of the right to information, and they do not know what is happening on Italian soil. The country's parliament turns a blind eye to the most flagrant violation of the Italian Constitution, namely, granting military bases in a concession to the Americans," he added.
Earlier, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said that he rules out his country's direct participation in any operations against Libya.
On February 19, a US airstrike targeted a terrorist training camp in the Libyan town of Sabratha. According to the Serbian government, two kidnapped Serbian diplomats, Sladjana Stankovic and Jovica Stepic, were among those killed in the attack.
