Italy – Pagina 2 – European Affairs Magazine

Italian Defense Minister winds up Lebanon visit.

4 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Italian Minister of Defense, Roberta Pinotti, on Monday winded up her state visit in Lebanon, and held a news conference at the VIP Hall at Beirut international airport, whereby she tackled the outcome of her meetings with the top Lebanese officials. In response to a question on Italy’s concern over a likely escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, Pinotti said highlighted the importance of the UNIFIL “in order to prevent the recurrence of similar escalation between the Lebanese and the Israelis”. Regarding the Syrians’ displacement to Lebanon, Pinotti maintained that “the international community must recognize the efforts undertaken by the Lebanese government in that respect, especially that Lebanon has hosted great numbers of displaced Syrians, in addition to the Palestinian refugees who are already present in Lebanon”.

Libyan southern clans reach peace agreement in Italy.

3 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Italy try to impose itself as peace-maker in Libya. Several representatives of the tribes living in the south of Libya signed a peace agreement after over three days of secret negotiations in the Italian Interior Ministry. The meeting was attended over 60 clan leader including the head of the largest Tuareg tribe in the Libyan region of Fezzan as well as Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Omar Maiteeq of Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). The agreement previous the end of hostilities in the area, but also the control of migrations.

A key gas pipeline for Italy and Europe paralyzed by 211 olive trees

3 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

The project of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is to provide natural gas to southern Europe with a 8km pipe.The European Commission’s initiative aims to guarantee energy to EU and reducing dependence on Russia and Gazprom to prevent energy crises like the one experienced in 2009, as a result of cuts in gas supplies because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. But an olive grove in Puglia region is the scene of a battle between police and demonstrators who oppose the construction of the gas pipeline.

Cameroon-Italy: the new impulse, Mattarella put Cameroun on the top of the list of the countries to visit in Africa

28 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

The meeting between camerounian President and Sergio Mattarella made the history, since it has been the hightest form of contact between the two countries. It is important to notice that: after his election, Sergio Mattarella put Cameroun on the top of the list of the countries to visit in Africa, therefore he made a state visit at Yaoundé, 17th march 2016. Paul Biya is the first African President to be invited to such an important diplomatic visit: this meeting witnessed the bond created between the two countries. The two Statesman drown the furrows of the new Italy-Cameroun cooperation, such as the confirmation of the Italian support against the terrorism. The President Mattarella affirmed that Italy remains a land of welcome for the Cameroonian. Another important objective of this presidential journey was to consolidate the bilateral strategic partnership between both countries.

Sewehli calls on Italy to push for international criminal proceedings against Hafter and the LNA for alleged war crimes

24 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

The head of the State Council, Abdulrahman Sewehli, had called on Italy, along with the European Union, the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court, to take action against war crimes allegedly committed in Benghazi by the Libya National Army led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. These accusations are referring to recent violences from Haftar troops. The head of the State Council has also used his travel to Italy to talk about Libyan-Libyan dialogue, and the return of Italian companies in Libya.

Italy seeks to bolster Libya migrant deal as arrivals surge.

18 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Italy will host a meeting between European and North African countries next week in a bid to strengthen support for an agreement it struck with Libya to fight people smuggling as migrant arrivals surge. The President of the GNA (Governement of National Agreement), al-Seraj will meet his Italian counter-part Gentiloni, and interior ministers of 8 EU countries. Italy will guide the operation, this recall its participation to the training of Libyan’s coast guards (duly criticized few weeks ago). The “Movimento 5 Stelle” had clearly expressed its opposition to the Italo-Libyan accord, and had called to the come back of Italian’s diplomats from Tripoli.

Italy evacuates 22 Libyans wounded in fighting for oil ports

17 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Italy has evacuated 22 Libyans wounded these last days during the conflict around Ras-Lanuf and Es-Sider, which has seen the control passing from BDB (Bengazhy Defence Brigade) to LNA (Libyan National Army). Those Libyans had been transferred in Rome, to be treated in the military hospital. It was the first time Italy had helped the wounded from the LNA, which supports the Tobruk parliament and not the rival U.N.-backed government in Tripoli. Since 2016, Italy did some other flights as this one. Italy and EU are involved in the resolution of the Libyan conflict, they have signed with Tripoli an agreement to fight human trafficking and pledged to fund migrant camps in Libya and to train Libyan coast guard to control migration flux.

Human traffickers, 83 migrants caught on luxury yacht.

14 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

The Turkish Coast Guard has captured 83 people trying to cross into Italy illegally from the Aegean resort town of Çeşme, in a U.S.-flagged luxury yacht. Some 82 of the smuggled migrants were Syrian. Three more people on board, all of whom were Ukrainians, were also detained on suspicion they were part of the crew. Gendarmerie forces also detained one Ukrainian, one Iraqi and two other people as suspected human traffickers. The migrants reportedly paid $5,500 per person to the human traffickers, the sources said.

Libyan mayors visit Italy to discuss cooperation

5 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

17 Libyan mayors was present in Rome, this Thursday, they had a meeting with Italian ambassador to Libya, some representative of Foreign Minister, and some representatives. They talked about global situation in Libya, how to manage the crisis. But they talked also about “an agreement [which] was reached to facilitate Italian visa for Libyans and resumption of Tripoli-Rome flights”, Zuwara Municipality reported.

Catania’s prosecutor: check NGOs for any links with the smugglers

20 Febbraio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Italy is looking more closely at the role of privately-funded rescue operations that have been plucking migrants from the seas off Libya and into the possibility that there may be collusion between smugglers and some of the rescuers. A Sicilian prosecutor has told the news agency AFP that the cost and sophistication of the rescue operations had attracted attention. “There is an abnormal proliferation of NGOs [Non-Government Organisations] operating “ said Carmelo Zuccaro, Catania’s prosecutor, “I’m not talking about the big, prestigious organisations, but all the small ones that seem to have sophisticated hardware, such as drones” Zuccaro said that in 2013 his office had begun its own monitoring of migrant trafficking. Because of their expensive equipment and its interest in their sources of funding, it had now started to check NGOs for any links with the smugglers. It seems clear that the European border security force Frontex has been watching the movement of rescue vessels just as it has been seeking to monitor the trafficking gangs that have been launching migrants from the coast of western Libya. Such observation will have included the interception of radio traffic.

GEOPOLITICA DEL MONDO MODERNO

Italy - page 2