Tobruk just 'aiming to create tension' (2)

(ANSAmed) - Rome, January 13 - The so-called 'government' in Tobruk headed by Abdullah al-Thani is not a body recognised by the international community and is only aiming to create tension via "manipulations" that the media can whip up, Italian sources close to the case told ANSA on Friday after Tobruk opposed the reopening of the Italian embassy in Tripoli. The sources stressed that the only legitimate, recognised authority in Libya is the Presidential Council in Tripoli headed by Fayez al-Sarraj and supported by the United Nations. The reopening of the Italian embassy in Tripoli is a "new occupation", local media report the foreign ministry of the government in Tobruk as saying on Friday. The Libya Observer reports that the authorities headed by Abdullah Al-Thanni sent a "very urgent" diplomatic note to all Libyan embassies and consulates abroad to inform them about what it called "the military return of the Italian embassy to the capital." "An Italian military vessel loaded with soldiers and ammunition has entered the Libyan territorial waters. It is a clear violation of UN charter and a form of repeated aggression," the note reportedly read. Italian ambassador Giuseppe Perrone presented his credentials in Tripoli on Tuesday to mark the reopening of the Italian embassy in the capital. The Libya Observer said that several political commentators have deplored the "hostile language" used in the diplomatic note, saying its denouncement of the entry of the Italian military vessel is double standards. The Tobruk government made no reaction to the entry into Libyan territorial waters of a Russian aircraft carrier and its visit by General Khalifa Haftar, one commentator reportedly pointed out.