The Lower House and Senate on
Wednesday approved resolutions to back the government's naval
mission to support the Libyan coast guard.
Premier Paolo Gentiloni announced last week that Italy was
considering a request from Libya for help in combatting human
traffickers after meeting Libyan Premier Fayez al-Sarraj in
Rome.
Most of the over 95,000 migrants to have landed in Italy so
far this year started their journey across the Mediterranean
from Libya, which has been affected by chaos since a Paris-led
campaign contributed to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
It is hoped that the mission with the Libyan coast guard can
help stem this flow, which is causing massive strain on the
Italian authorities.
Gentiloni said Friday that the use of Italian vessels to
support Libya would not entail "an enormous deployment of big
feels and air squadrons".
The defence ministry on Wednesday said that the Italian ship
the Comandante Borsini has "just entered Libyan territorial
waters after receiving the necessary authorizations, heading
towards the port of the city of Tripoli".
The ship, which was previously engaged in the Mare Sicuro
operation, will conduct "the necessary reconnaissance
activities" to be able to decide on coordination for subsequent
activities a statement said.
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