Senators from the ruling populist 5 Star Movement on Thursday said they were deeply concerned at the escalating military conflict in Libya and called for joint Italian-US diplomatic action to defuse the deepening crisis in the chaos-stricken country.
"We are extremely worried by the news arriving from Libya," 5-Star members of the Italian Senate's foreign affairs committee said in a statement on Thursday.
"The military advance towards Libya by Haftar's army and resulting mobilisation of the armed forces and of militias allied to al-Sarraj's Government of National accord risks tipping Libya into a war that would wipe out every prospect of stabilising the country," the statement went on.
The GNA is Libya's United Nations backed government in Tripoli led by prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
"This would have extremely serious consequences, not only for Libya but Italy's national interests: from the security of (energy giant) Eni's oil infrastructure to the management of migration," the statement said.
A further military escalation would plunge Libya in deeper chaos, abet the people traffickers' boat crossings and worsen "the already problematic humanitarian situation" in GNA-run migrant detention centres, the Senators warned.
"We hope that the creation of a Italy-US 'crisis cabinet' will be among robust diplomatic initiative to defuse this dangerous military escalation," the statement ended.
The statement came as Libya's interior ministry declared a state of emergency in Tripoli on Thursday after forces loyal to powerful eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar captured the town Gharyan, 100 kilometres south of the capital, which had been allied to the UN-backed government.
UN chief Antonio Guterres also voiced alarm on Thursday at the military escalation in Libya, where a national conference is due to take place in mid-April in the south-western city of Ghadames under the auspices of the world body.
The national conference will seek to forge a political solution to stabilise Libya and hold long-delayed elections aimed at unifying the country, whose warring factions have been vying for control since the Nato-backed toppling of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
