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By Hadi Fornaji.
Tunis, 4 March 2017:
Hopes of restarting expansion work on Zuwara port took a step forward yesterday with talks in Tripoli between the Presidency Council’s transport minister Milad Matouk, Zuwara mayor Hafez Ben Sassi and a delegation from Italian construction company Piacentini.
The company had been working on the port’s development. However, in mid-2014, three members of its staff involved in the project were kidnapped while on their way to work. Two were released almost immediately but the last, Italian Marco Vallisa, was finally freed only in November that year after a lage ransom was reportedly paid. The incident and the security vacuum forced Piacentini to pull out.
Yesterday’s meeting looked at reactivating port construction, the safety of all involved, and the return of Piancentini to complete the project.
So far, however, no timeframe for the Italian company’s return has been announced.
