Brussels, 26/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - "It is more than ever necessary to increase military pressure on Gaddafi's command centres, troops and infrastructures" to bring to an end the pressure on the civilian populations of the whole of Libya, state the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the French president Nicolas Sarkozy in a declaration on Libya and the Mediterranean, which was adopted at the Franco-Italian summit held in Rome on Tuesday 26 April. Colonel Gaddafi "must go", the Libyan people must be able to engage in an inclusive political process piloted by Libyans themselves, they continue, stressing that the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC), which is the "legitimate representative of the Libyan people", has a "central role to play in this political process". The other countries are also called upon to "step up their aid to the NTC". The two countries, which are already taking part in air operations being carried out in application of resolution 1973 of the Security Council, state that they are also prepared to mobilise "material and human resources" in the framework of the security policy and common defence operations, Eufor Libya, as soon as a request for support has been made by the United Nations. They actively support the planning process underway for the EUFOR Libya operations by the international headquarters based in Rome. To ensure that Gaddafi no longer has access to the gas and oil revenue of the country, France and Italy are calling on all States and all operators on the oil market to decline any operations involving the sale of transportation of hydrocarbons which may be advantageous to the Gaddafi regime, as well as any cargo of crude or refined oil products, which may contribute to attacks against the population.
Relaunch of the UfM. France and Italy went on to state that they "wished to act in favour of a relaunch of the Union for the Mediterranean, which is more vital than ever to promote cooperative relations based on concrete and well-structured projects, and to work together with a view to creating a common area of shared peace and prosperity throughout the Mediterranean". Paris and Rome are also calling for a "substantial increase" of EU aid towards the South of the Mediterranean, either by increasing EIB loans, increasing the bilateral resources granted by the EU (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument), extending the scope of intervention of the EBRD to the countries of the southern shore of the Mediterranean, setting in place a new international financial instrument to develop economic development based on solidarity, supporting SMEs, creating jobs and facilitating economic and commercial exchanges between the two sides of the Mediterranean. This ambition and the priority given to the southern neighbourhood must be fully taken on board in the Commission's proposals for the forthcoming multi-annual financial framework of the EU, they state.
Immigration. In this context, France and Italy consider that migration issues should form a basic element of the new partnership for shared democracy and prosperity to be established between the EU and the countries of the southern Mediterranean rim. The effort to combat illegal immigration must therefore represent a common imperative of the partners on both sides of the Mediterranean, something that cannot be disassociated from the other terms of an ambitious partnership. France and Italy will work together bilaterally and within the EU to support and involve their southern rim partners in full cooperation, not only in the management of their border matters but also concerning the readmission of migrants. (H.B./transl.jl)