Italian ambassador: Intention to set up military base for Italy in south Libya is “fake news”

BY Libyan Express Jul 01, 2018 - 09:00

The Italian ambassador to Libya, Giuseppe Perrone (Photo: Internet)

Italian Ambassador to Libya, Giuseppe Perrone, on Saturday denied that Italy is planning to establish a military base in southern Libya.

“Rumors of Italy establishing a military base in Libya’s South are simply fake news,” Perrone tweeted Saturday.

Italian Interior Ministry leads EU program to strengthen Libya’s sovereignty and border guards’ capacity to fight human traffickers, Perrone added.

The Libyan eastern-based self-styled army on Friday warned against the proposed establishment of foreign military presence in southern Libya over illegal immigration.

The “army” which is under the command of warlord Khalifa Haftar said it considers the move “a clear violation of the international law and a blatant aggression on the Libyan sovereignty.”

The warning comes days after Italian Deputy Prime Minister an Interior Minister Matteo Salvini proposed to Libya’s UN-backed government to establish reception centers for illegal immigrants in southern Libya, which Libya rejected.

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