Monday 21 February 2011

Libya :Gaddafi´s friend Berlusconi opposes EU sanctions


Finland´s foreign minister Alexander Stubb today suggested that the European Union applies sanctions against the Gaddafi regime. However, the EU foreign ministers were not able to agree on sanctions because Italy, with the support of some other southern countries were against the proposal:

According to unconfirmed reports, Libyan authorities killed at least 300 demonstrators in recent days in what would be the bloodiest response to the pro-democracy uprisings that have erupted in North Africa and the Middle East since January.
Italy, however, has led a camp of southern EU states wanting to avoid antagonizing Tripoli over concerns Libya could halt cooperating on migration policies.
Finland's Foreign Minister, Alexander Stubb, had urged the bloc to consider stronger measures.
'There was a suggestion, a proposal from our colleague Stubb, (but) many other colleagues responded that clearly we now need to think about a transition process, not about creating the conditions for a new confrontation,' Italy's Franco Frattini said.
Frattini also said it would have been wrong to call for Gaddafi's resignation in the wake of the crackdown.
'The European Union has never said who should go and who should stay,' he explained.
Stubb had earlier had asked: 'How can we on one side look at what's going on in Libya, with almost 300 people shot dead, and not talk bout sanctions or travel bans ... for Gaddafi, and at the same time put travel bans and sanctions in Belarus?'

Read the entire article here.

How right Stubb is, but it now seems clear that Silvio Berlusconi wants to protect his "friend" Moammar Gaddafi. Shame on Italy and its supporters!

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