By Libya Herald reporters.
Tunis, 13 July 2017:
Italy’s interior minister Marco Minneti in Tripoli today for talks on migrants proposed a deal with mayors of the south to fight human traffickers.
“We have a moral duty to eliminate this traffic that has caused deaths… and extraordinary and unacceptable pressure on my country,” Minniti said to 13 of the mayors. “We will make a pact to liberate our lands from traffickers”.
This was Minniti’s third visit to Tripoli this year. He came in January and again in May , on each occasion with the rising tide of migrants at the top of his agenda.
He went on to meet Presidency Council (PC) head Faiez Serraj, foreign minister Mohamed Siala and interior minister Aref Khojja.
According to the Italian embassy, Serraj told Minniti “Libya will do whatever it can to work with Italy to defeat human traffickers and relieve pressure on Italy’s coast.”
Miinniti responded that his country appreciated the PC’s efforts to fight human traffickers. He also praised the PC’s support for the Italian coast guard and its rescue of migrants at sea.
In his turn, Serraj welcomed Italy’s efforts to deal with the influx of migrants and the effect the flow of people had on both Libya and Europe.
The visit comes after complaints by the Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni, that the rest of Europe is failing to help Rome handle the 85,000 migrants who have landed in his country this year.
Swedish ambassador Fredrik Florén and his Finnish counterpart Tanka Jääskeläinen have also been in Tripoli today for talks with Serraj and foreign minister Mohamed Siala.
