Libya: Italian Government Says War Must Cease

May 14 (EIRNS)—In an interview today, Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni (Lega Nord) called for an end to the war against Libya, in response to European critics who accuse the Italian government of being too soft on illegal immigrants coming from North Africa, because Italy is accepting them into the country instead of sending them back.

"In order to reject illegal immigrants," Maroni says, "you must have a government on the other side, able to receive its citizens. Spain has Morocco as interlocutor, and we are doing it with Tunisia, but with Libya, it is impossible, because there is a war there and those who are coming here are immigrants whom we cannot send back."

British Military Chief: Destroy Libya To Save It from Qaddafi

May 15 (EIRNS)—Gen. Sir David Richards, chief of the British Defence Staff, said that he wanted the rules of engagement against Libya changed so that attacks can be launched against the infrastructure holding up Qaddafi's regime.

"The vise is closing on Gaddafi, but we need to increase the pressure further through more intense military action," Richards told today's Sunday Telegraph. "If we do not up the ante now, there is a risk that the conflict could result in Gaddafi clinging to power. At present NATO is not attacking infrastructure targets in Libya. But if we want to increase the pressure on Gaddafi's regime then we need to give serious consideration to increasing the range of targets we can hit."

Liam Fox, the British Defence Secretary, admitted today that a number of NATO countries were "less happy" with Britain's decision to extend the number of targets, to include command and control centers and what he called "intelligence networks." Speaking on BBC1's Politics Show, Fox said: "Not all NATO countries take the same view."