EU parliament head Tajani says France & Italy divided over Libya

France and Italy are divided over policy towards Libya despite the official position of unity stated by the EU’s foreign policy chief, the head of the European Parliament said on Wednesday. Parliament President Antonio Tajani, who is Italian, urged EU countries to speak with a single voice on the renewed crisis in Libya. Rival forces are fighting for control of the capital Tripoli. France and Italy both had “diverging interests,” Reuters quoted Tajani as saying. France, which has oil assets in eastern Libya, has provided military assistance in the past years to Khalifa Haftar in his eastern stronghold, according to Libyan and French officials. Italy, the former colonial power and a big player in Libya’s oil sector, has supported the UN-backed PM Fayez al-Sarraj.