Western military intervention in Niger must be ruled out, Italy says

'We need to rule out any Western military initiative because it would be perceived as a new colonisation,' Italian FM Antonio Tajani said.

Any Western military intervention in Niger must be avoided, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told RAI public television on Wednesday.

"We have to work so that democracy prevails in Niger ... we need to rule out any Western military initiative because it would be perceived as a new colonisation," Tajani said.

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His comments, reported by Italian news agencies, were confirmed by his spokesman.