Italian defence minister warns about uncoordinated action on Libya

Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti ruled out her country taking unilateral action in Libya, saying efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis must be coordinated internationally, in an interview with local media published Thursday.

"In the last month, we have been working more closely with the Americans, Brits and French," Pinotti told Corriere della Sera.

She stressed that Rome was not ready to take unilateral action in Libya. "We all agree that we must avoid uncoordinated actions which did not give good results in the past," the minister said.

Pinotti said that Italy would continue to spearhead a joint response to the five-year-long crisis in Libya, which has served as a springboard for mass immigration into the southern European Union.

US media reported earlier this week that US President Barack Obama was making plans to open a third front against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Libya, following military operations in Syria and Iraq, according to Sputnik.

The North African country has been locked in a conflict since the overthrow of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. The resulting power vacuum caused numerous militant groups to come to power in the country, particularly IS, which has been carrying out attacks on Libya’s oil infrastructure.

Source: MENA