Friday, 28 August 2009

Italy’s PM defies critics with Libya visit

By Guy Dinmore in Rome and Heba Saleh in Cairo

Published: August 27 2009 19:43 | Last updated: August 27 2009 20:35

Immigrants from Libya
Immigrants leaving Libya have been intercepted by Italian police boats and later returned to Africa

Libya is the biggest provider of crude oil to Italy by far and its sovereign wealth fund may yet prop up some large Italian companies, but Silvio Berlusconi is discovering – like Britain’s Gordon Brown – that to deal with Muammer Gaddafi can be a double-edged sword.