Italy's Premier Silvio Berlusconi held talks with Libya's leader Moammar Gadhafi during a visit Friday to the North African country, according to AP. The meeting in the Libyan city of Sirte was «long and cordial,» touching on illegal immigration, the Middle East conflict and the Paris summit on the Mediterranean Union, Berlusconi's office said in a statement later in Rome. Berlusconi stressed the urgent need to implement a 2007 deal with Libya for joint sea patrols to stem the flow of clandestine migrants. The Italian premier called for greater cooperation with Libya on this front as well as in the economic sector, the statement said. The issue of illegal immigration was expected to top the agenda, as Libya is the point from which thousands of would-be immigrants set sail in their efforts to reach Europe. The Italian government has pressed Libya for years to step up patrol of its shores. According to Italian Ministry figures, about 16,500 illegal migrants believed to have departed from Libya reached Italian shores in 2007.
