- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

EU Parl't Head Reminds France About Role in Gaddafi's Overthrow Amid Libya Chaos

© AP Photo / Abdel Magid Al FerganyMuammar Gaddafi. File photo
Muammar Gaddafi. File photo - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The claims come amid the escalation of the crisis in Libya, which has seen Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, a former supporter of the country’s late former leader Muammar Gaddafi, launch a military campaign to seize the Libyan capital Tripoli.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani has commented on the current situation in Libya, specifically dwelling on Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s claims that the economic interests of a foreign country could be behind the military operation being launched against the Libyan capital Tripoli.

“We have always said that France and Italy have separate interests in Libya, so much so, that Sarkozy was one of the strong supporters of overthrowing and then killing Muammar Gaddafi, along with the Americans and the British,” Tajani told the Italian news network Sky TG24.

READ MORE: Number of Displaced People in Libya’s Tripoli Reaches 3,400 — UN Agency

He argued that “France made a dramatic historical mistake” in hoping for a stronger presence in Libya, but that at the end of the day, "there is nothing but chaos and we have paid the price through the continuing migration flows”.

He warned that if no efforts are taken right now to resolve the Libyan crisis, the situation in the country “will become unmanageable”. According to Tajani, the Libyan standoff “also reflects Italy’s inability” to be in charge of the situation in the North African country.

Tajani’s comments came after Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini argued that the economic interests of a foreign country could be behind the military operation which was recently launched against the Libyan capital Tripoli.

The escalating crisis in Libya started to unravel last Thursday when the Libyan National Army (LNA) of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar marched on the national capital with the stated goal of wrestling it from alleged “terrorists".

READ MORE: Alleged VIDEO of Libyan National Army Airstrike On Tripoli Released Online

Forces loyal to the Tripoli-based and UN-supported Government of National Accord (GNA) said, in turn, that they were launching a counteroffensive operation dubbed Volcano of Rage.

Soldiers from the Libyan National Army get ready to enter Rafallah al-sahati Islamic Militia Brigades compound, one of the compound buildings can be seen behind the wall, in Benghazi, Libya, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. - Sputnik International
Africa
UN Keeps Working in Libya to Resolve Conflict - Special Envoy
On Tuesday, the GNA’s Presidential Council condemned the LNA airstrikes on Mitiga Airport in Tripoli, slamming them as “a war crime and a crime against humanity, which is violating all national laws and international agreements and which made sending ill and wounded people to hospitals impossible at this difficult moment”.

Libya has been embroiled in a severe political crisis since National Transitional Council forces, supported by NATO, murdered the country's former head Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011.

READ MORE: French President, Libyan Prime Minister Discuss Tripoli Offensive

The country was then divided between the parliament, which was elected in 2014 and is based in the city of Tobruk and supported by the LNA, and the GNA, which was formed at the UN's initiative and controls the western part of the country, including the capital Tripoli.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала