FranceLink

France partly to blame for Libya crisis says Italian minister

Defence minister said it was 'undeniable' Libya is in crisis because in 2011 someone put their own interests ahead of those of Libyan people.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

To support Mediapart subscribe

France is partly to blame for the crisis in Libya, Italy's defence minister Elisabetta Trenta said Monday, ruling out Italian military intervention there, reports FRANCE 24.

"France, from my point of view, has a responsibility," the minister wrote on Facebook, evoking the military intervention in 2011 by France and other nations against the regime of Libya's then leader Muammar Gaddafi.

"It is clearly now undeniable that this country (Libya) finds itself in this situation because someone, in 2011, put their own interests ahead of those of the Libyan people and of Europe itself," the minister said.

"France, from this point of view, is partly to blame," Trenta added.

Earlier Italy's parliamentary speaker Roberto Fico called the situation in Libya "a serious problem which France has left us".

Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.