Whose Odyssey Dawn is it anyway?

“The war in Libya has divided Italy and France”, writes Corriere della Sera, which chronicles growing tensions in Rome vis-à-vis the desire of Paris to conduct Operation Odyssey Dawn on its own, thus relegating Italy to the rear lines. The Italian government has threatened to “take command” of air bases used by Allied aircraft operations if the command does not shift to NATO - a demand shared by Norway, which has already suspended its participation, but which is contested by France and the Arab countries. The editorialist Piero Ostellino attributes the French attitude to its “desire to replace Italy in its dealings with Libya (from oil to economic and commercial relationships) in the post-Gaddafi era,” which is why Italy “has everything to lose” in accepting France's leadership. The Italian government is also under pressure, the Milan daily adds, from the Tunisian migrants who are arriving every day in Lampedusa. Numbering by now possibly more than 5,000, they may be “as numerous as the inhabitants” of the island, who complain that if they remain on the island they will cast a shadow over the start of the tourist season.