Italy withdraw aircraft carrier from Libya

Italy’s Minister of Defence Ignazio La Russa has announced the withdrawal of an aircraft carrier from the NATO mission in Libya because of the pressing financial situation. “We have cut back costs in Libya, from a forecast 142 million euros in the first half of the year to less than 60 million euros for the second half,” La Russa commented after a cabinet meeting. Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlisconi has also voiced his criticism of the NATO campaign by pointing out that he was against it right from the start. To date, Italy has contributed numerous ships and eight planes to the Libya operation. In addition, it has troop commitments in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Kosovo but with the aim of saving 40 billion euros over the next couple of years it will have to reduce its involvement in foreign missions.