U.S., Italy Consider Arming Rebels to Speed Qaddafi Ouster
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The U.S. and Italy are each considering arming Libyan opposition forces to speed the ouster of Muammar Qaddafi, according to an official involved in closed-door talks between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini in Washington yesterday.
Frattini also told Clinton that the African Union, whose commission chairman, Jean Ping, met with Frattini in Rome on April 5, has promised to send a delegation to Tripoli in coming days to try to persuade Qaddafi to leave the country, according to the official, who wasn’t authorized to comment on the private discussions at the State Department.