Renzi puts brakes on military action as Italy frets over Libya fallout

ROME — Italy on Monday ruled out military intervention in Libya in the short term, despite mounting concern in Rome over the country's exposure to the fallout from the chaos engulfing its former colony.

The country's defence and foreign ministers have, in recent days, aired the possibility of Italy leading a UN-backed force on a mission to stabilise Libya and address the potential threat posed by Islamist militants establishing a base within easy reach of Europe.

Pressure for international intervention has grown further following the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians by Daesh terror group at the weekend — an atrocity which prompted Cairo to send warplanes to bomb targets in Libya on Monday in retaliation.

But Prime Minister Matteo Renzi struck a cautious note after telephone talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi in the wake of the air strikes.

Sisi had agreed with Renzi that the next steps should be political and diplomatic efforts through the UN, the Italian premier's office said.

"On Libya, wisdom, prudence and a sense of the situation is required," Renzi said in an interview with TG5 television.

"What is happening is very complicated. We are following events closely and with concern but there is no need to jump from total indifference to hysteria and an unreasonable reaction."

Renzi's caution is understandable, according to Ettore Greco, of the Institute for International Affairs, in Rome, who said Rome could not risk attempting peace making, as opposed to peace keeping.

"At the moment the reality is that there is no peace to keep," Greco told AFP.

"It may be possible to work with Egypt but you have to be sure everyone is a greed on a common strategy. Cairo has its own interests," he argued.

'Ready to fight' 

Italy has been pushing its allies to be more proactive on Libya, regularly complaining that the volatile situation there gets nothing like the attention it deserves in comparison to the conflict in Ukraine or Greece's debt crisis.

Most pressingly, Italy has had to cope with the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East who are able to transit through Libya unhindered because of the virtual breakdown of authority in the country.

Growing evidence that Daesh is gaining a hold in the country, has added to concerns.

Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Friday that Italy was "ready to fight" as part of an international mission to combat the terrorist threat in Libya.

Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti talked of Italy providing more than 5,000 men for a multinational intervention force which Rome would lead.

Renzi made it clear such action was not on the immediate agenda.

"The situation in Libya has been out of control for three years, we have been saying this in every forum and will continue to do so," Renzi said.

"If it wants to, the international community has the means to intervene. The proposal is to await the UN Security Council. The strength of the UN is clearly greater than that of the radical militias."

Italy's official position is that it would only join a peacekeeping force in Libya if the warring parties can be persuaded to cease fighting by UN special envoy Bernardino Leon.

Gentiloni appeared to go beyond that formula on Friday, saying: "We cannot accept the idea that there's an active terrorist threat only a few hours from Italy by boat."

Egypt and France on Monday called for an early meeting of the UN Security Council and the adoption of new measures against IS in response to the murder of the Egyptians in Libya.