Italy's aircraft carrier Garibaldi is being called back home from Libya, U.S. votes against authority to continue the military mission
Italy said Thursday it was cutting back its participation in NATO's Libya campaign, bringing an aircraft carrier and its hundreds of sailors home, in the latest indication that the alliance is growing weary after nearly four months of bombing.
Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa said Thursday that the drawdown would trim Italy's expenditures by one-third _ from (EURO)142 million ($202 million) for the first three months of the mission, to (EURO)58 million through to September. He said the aircraft carrier Garibaldi would be replaced by a smaller ship, freeing up nearly 1,000 military personnel. He said Italy's commitment, however, remained the same since the Garibaldi's three aircraft would be replaced by jets at Italian bases that would still fly missions. The cutbacks were part of an overall trimming of Italy's military missions abroad. It was the strongest signal yet of a growing weariness with the war among some NATO allies. Several participants have indicated they may start reducing their involvement, and the U.S. House of Representatives recently voted overwhelmingly against giving President Barack Obama the authority to continue the military mission, though it stopped short of cutting off funds. Premier Silvio Berlusconi is under pressure to withdraw from the Libya campaign from his key ally the Northern League, which has opposed the war because of the cost and fears of an influx of migrants. After a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Berlusconi said he had always been against the war but had his "hands tied" once the U.N. authorized a no-fly zone to protectLibyan civilians. Italy, Libya's former colonial ruler, is letting NATO aircraft use its military bases and has also been flying sorties. NATO sought to downplay Italy's reduction. Alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said she hadn't seen reports of the Italian decision but said Italy had been a "very reliable and strong contributor" to the mission. "We continue to rely on Italy for support as we do on all allies and partners," she said, adding that NATO was confident it had all the resources and military assets needed to do the job. NATO's campaign was originally intended to deliver a sharp, devastating military blow that would allow the opposition to quickly oust Moammar Gadhafi's regime. But with the campaign dragging on inconclusively, there have been increasing international calls for a negotiated end to the war. France, which fired the first airstrikes in the campaign March 19, said Thursday it is determined to fight Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and will urge its parliament to extend the operation. NATO took over command of the initial attacks on Libya on March 31. The airstrikes have now lasted longer than the 78-day bombing of Serbia in 1999, the only other such aerial bombing campaign the alliance has undertaken.
