Didn’t arm protesters, Berlusconi tells Gaddafi
February 24th, 2011 - 12:22 pm ICT by IANSRome, Feb 24 (IANS/AKI) Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has telephoned Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi to deny that Italy had armed anti-government demonstrators with rockets.
According to a statement issued by Berlusconi’s office, the call was made following a televised afternoon address by the embattled Gaddafi, in which he said he would never resign and that protesters, whom he branded “terrorists”, would be executed.
In a 20-minute phone call with Gaddafi, Berlusconi Tuesday urged the Libyan leader to avoid civil war and bring a peaceful end to the conflict, newspaper Corriere della Sera reported Wednesday.
Berlusconi “flatly denied” that Italy had supplied rockets or any weapons to Gaddafi opponents, a charge Gaddafi also levelled at the US in a defiant speech aired on state TV Tuesday.
Corriere della Sera cited unnamed Italian government sources as saying US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had invited Berlusconi to call Gaddafi in a message relayed to him by Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.
As recently as Saturday, Berlusconi, who in recent years has sought closer ties between Italy and Libya through a personal friendship with Gaddafi, controversially said he did not want to “disturb” the longest-ruling Arab leader.
In the one-hour and 14-minute speech, Gaddafi, who has ruled Libya for 41 years, said he would fight with his “last drop of blood” to retain power and pledged to deploy the army and police to impose order.
On Monday, Berlusconi joined other European Union leaders in condemning the violence against civilians in Libya in a brutal crackdown by forces loyal to Gaddafi against the revolt that began Feb 17.
Tripoli said Tuesday that 300 people had been killed in the crackdown. But a Rome-based Arab expatriate group, Arab World Communities in Italy, cited sources inside Libya as saying that 1,000 people had been killed in bombing raids.
Reports from Libya citing eyewitnesses claim heavy weaponry and foreign mercenaries have allegedly been used against civilians.
–IANS/AKI
rd/pg
- Gaddafi threatens to kill Berlusconi: Italian daily - Jul 31, 2011
- Drug bust at Berlusconi company - Nov 08, 2011
- Italy not to bomb Libya, says Berlusconi - Apr 16, 2011
- Abducted Italian journalists freed in Libya (Lead) - Aug 25, 2011
- Italy to send ships, planes to ease refugee crisis in Libya - Mar 04, 2011
- Libyan protesters in contact with Italy - Mar 10, 2011
- Abducted Italian journalists kept hostage in Tripoli - Aug 25, 2011
- Berlusconi breaks into Latin on Gaddafi's death - Oct 21, 2011
- Berlusconi to meet Libya's rebel leader - Aug 24, 2011
- Berlusconi's eldest daughter not interested in politics - May 06, 2011
- Spielberg fined in Italy - Jul 26, 2011
- My father won't quit: Berlusconi's daughter - Oct 07, 2011
- Italy calls on Gaddafi to surrender - Aug 22, 2011
- Italy may freeze 3.6 bn euros of Libyan assets - Mar 02, 2011
- Libya unrest may unleash wave of 350,000 migrants: Italy - Feb 24, 2011
Tags: arab leader, arab world, brutal crackdown, corriere della sera, drop of blood, european union leaders, eyewitnesses, government sources, hillary clinton, italian government, italian prime minister, libyan leader, minute speech, muammar gaddafi, personal friendship, prime minister silvio, prime minister silvio berlusconi, silvio berlusconi, state tv, world communities