Former colonial master Italy refuses to condemn Libyan violence

Agencies

ROME, Feb 21: Italy's opposition lawmakers have criticised Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi for failing to condemn violence in Libya.

BERLUSCONI WITH HIS FAVOURITE COLONEL ... Among Gaddafi's many eccentricities is travelling abroad with his all-women bodyguards

Mr Berlusconi's government, which has aggressively courted Libyan petrodollars and rolled out the red carpet during Mr Gaddafi's multiple visits to Italy, has said little on Libya's crackdown on protesters that has reportedly killed more than 200 people.

And over the weekend the Italian prime minister said he had not called Mr Gaddafi because he did not want to "disturb" him during the revolt.

Pressed by reporters on whether he had spoken to Mr Gaddafi since the uprising began, Mr Berlusconi said: "No, I haven't been in contact with him. The situation is still in flux and so I will not allow myself to disturb anyone."

The comment stirred outrage among the Italian opposition, which has long accused Mr Berlusconi of turning a blind eye to Mr Gaddafi's human rights record and pandering to the Libyan leader for the sake of lucrative contracts and investment in Italy, which is Libya's former colonial ruler.

"Adding to the deafening silence of the Italian government on the bloody repression in Libya and other Middle East countries is the disconcerting declaration by Berlusconi that he does not want to disturb Gaddafi over the dozens left dead on the streets of Benghazi and Tripoli," said Piero Fassino of the main opposition Democratic Party.

Other legislators said they were "disgusted" by the comments and that Italy, as Libya's closest Western ally, should be taking the lead in condemning violence by Libyan forces to quell the uprising against four decades of Mr Gaddafi rule.

One newspaper headlined its story "Don't disturb the slaughterer", while the influential newspaper of Italy's Catholic Bishops, Avvenire, called on Rome to use its "privileged relationship with Tripoli" to press for an end to the "bloody repression" in Libya.

Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini told reporters in Brussels on Sunday that Italy, which has widespread business interests in Libya, particularly in the energy sector, was concerned about developments.

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