Italian Premier Matteo Renzi on
Tuesday called on the United Nations to set up refugee camps in
conflict-hit Libya.
"Should the UN's refugee agency set up refugee camps on the
Libyan coasts or not? I think it should," Renzi said.
"The absence of international community and of the UN in
Libya risks opening the door to...fundamentalists who weren't
there before".
On Monday the Italian embassy on Monday advised Italians
in Libya to consider temporarily coming home following recent
political violence in the capital Tripoli.
On Sunday renegade anti-Islamist troops stormed the
interim parliament and suspended the Islamist-dominated House,
accusing it of empowering extremists.
At least two people were reported killed and 66 hurt in
ensuing violence, some of the worst since the 2011 uprising that
ousted strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The turmoil that has followed Gaddafi's death has been a
big factor in the escalating migrant crisis Italy is enduring,
as human traffickers are capitalising on the lack of a strong
central government in Tripoli.
Last week he EU's border agency Frontex said arrivals in
Italy, the first port of call for many migrants trying to enter
Europe from North Africa, in the first four months of 2014 rose
by a dizzying 823% over the same period in 2013.
From January to April 2014, 25,650 migrants arrived in
Sicily and 660 in the Puglia and Calabria regions, it said.
Renzi has accused the European Union of looking the other
way as Italy struggles to cope with the crisis.
On Tuesday he said he would continue to press for more
international assistance.
"The way in which Europe is dealing with Libya is clear
for everyone to see," said Renzi.
"Special envoys will be sent from the individual countries
and we'll do that too. But what is Europe's intention?
"I intend to bring the issue up at next Tuesday's European
summit and at the G7 meeting of June 4 and 5, as I did with the
UN Secretary General (Ban Ki-moon)".
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