Sunday, November 11, 2007

Italy Plans Trans Libyan Highway for Colonial Reparations

The ANNOTICO Report

The history of Libya covers five distinct periods: Ancient period (Berbers/Cartheginians), the Islamic period, Ottoman rule, Italian rule, and the Modern era.

The Ottoman sultan ceded Libya to the Italians in the 1912 Treaty of Lausanne. Tripoli was largely under Italian control by 1914, and 150,000 Italians settled in Libya thereafter. 

Under the terms of the 1947 peace treaty with the Allies, Italy relinquished all claims to Libya.

This new Highway offered to be built for Libya will extend along the coast from the Tunisian border on the West to the Egyptian border on the East, a project worth several billion dollars.

Gaddafi seized power in 1969, and in 1970, Gaddafi expelled Italian residents and confiscated their property.

 

In July 1999 the Italian government offered a formal apology to Libya and Italy agreed to pay USD $260 million as compensation for the occupation of a mere 3 decades.

Italy imports around 25 percent of its oil and 33 percent of its gas from Libya and has a strong business presence there.

I have not heard of any other European Colonial African power that has been as remorseful, or offered such generous reparations, especially for having been in occupation for such a short period.

Italy Plans Libyan Road in Compensation Deal

Reuters -Europe

Sun 11 Nov 2007

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Italy is planning to build a motorway across Libya as part of compensation for colonial wrongs under a deal it is negotiating with Tripoli, the Libyan news agency Jana reported on Sunday.

The agency reported Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema as telling Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi at a meeting on Saturday that Italy would provide a road linking Ras Jdayr on Libya's Tunisian border to Sallum on its Egyptian border.

"The Minister made a detailed presentation on cooperation prospects between the two countries and the big initiative project that Italy will present to the Libyan people, namely the construction of a highway from Ras Jdayr to Sallum that comes as part of compensation for the Italian colonial period and in order to turn that page," Jana reported.

"The Minister renewed Italy's keen desire to promote cooperation to establish peace and ensure stability in the Mediterranean and consolidate bilateral relations," it added.

Italy, which ruled Libya from 1911 to 1943, has had difficult relations with Gaddafi since he seized power in 1969. In 1970, Gaddafi expelled Italian residents and confiscated their property.

But ties have warmed up in recent years and Rome, as Libya's main diplomatic interlocutor and trading partner in Europe, backed Tripoli's drive to mend fences with the West.

Both countries have long sought a deal on compensation for Italy's colonial policies, which included the deportation of thousands of Libyans to Italy.

A coastal highway, a project worth several billion dollars, has often been mentioned as a potential part of any agreement.

Italy imports around 25 percent of its oil and 33 percent of its gas from Libya and has a strong business presence there.

Bilateral ties have been under pressure from the flow of illegal immigrants from Libya's coast to Italy's south, and the absence so far of any reparation payments.

 

The ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (and are Archived) on:

Italia USA: http://www.ItaliaUSA.com [Formerly Italy at St Louis] (7 years)

Italia Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com (3 years)

Annotico Email: annotico@earthlink.net