ITALY URGES RUSSIA TO HELP TACKLE LIBYA CONFLICT

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) speaks at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi following their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 5, 2015. © AFP

Moskow, 16 Jumadil Awwal 1436/7 March 2015 (MINA)– Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has called on Russia to help tackle the crisis in Libya, saying Moscow could play a determining role in settling the ongoing conflict in the North African country.

During a Thursday meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Renzi emphasized the need for a “strong international response” to the chaos in Libya, adding, “I am confident that the Russian Federation may play a decisive role in resolving the problem.”

President Putin, for his part, welcomed UN-backed efforts to help end the Libyan turmoil, adding, “We had a detailed discussion of the terrorist threat coming from the Middle East and North Africa, particularly the sharp deterioration of the situation in direct proximity to Italy, in Libya”, Press TV quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The two sides also exchanged views involving issues around the Ukraine crisis.

The United Nations has been mediating talks between the Libyan warring sides in a bid to end the months-long fighting that has rendered the Arab country completely lawless and ungovernable. Several rounds of UN-backed talks have been held between the rival Libyan sides since last September.

Libya plunged into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. The ouster of Gaddafi gave rise to a patchwork of heavily-armed militias and deep political divisions.

The north African country has now two rival camps vying for control of the country, with one controlling the capital, Tripoli, and the other, Libya’s internationally recognized government, governing the eastern cities of Bayda and Tobruk.

Many fear that the power struggle between the two rival governments and armed groups in Libya would push the North African country deeper into chaos.

Exploiting the power vacuum in the Libya, ISIL Takfiri militants, which control some regions in Iraq and Syria, have expanded their acts of terror to the violence-wracked North African country. (T/P010/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)