EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini on Tuesday urged European countries to change course and send warships back to the Mediterranean to tackle migrant trafficking and the arms and oil smuggling fuelling Libya's conflict.

The European Union last month suspended naval patrols that had rescued tens of thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean and brought them to Italy, where a populist government now fights the practice.

The EU decision came before Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, based in eastern Libya, launched a military offensive two weeks ago on the UN- and EU-backed government in Tripoli.

"I have always argued for the naval assets to remain in the international waters because they have proven to be a very effective deterrent for the (migrant) smugglers and traffickers," Mogherini told the European Parliament.

The naval assets were part of Operation Sophia, which Mogherini said has helped slash migrant arrivals to Europe by more than 80 percent.

"I still hope they (EU countries) can reconsider their decision and decide to redeploy naval assets in the international waters," the former Italian foreign minister said.

Mogherini said it makes sense to send warships to deter not only the migrant smugglers but alsofulfil the "responsibilities we have taken of implementing the UN Security resolutions when it comes to the arms and oil embargo."

Mogherini warned the Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg that Haftar's military offensive on Tripoli could become a long-running conflict fuelled by illegal weapons.

EU diplomats last month decided to extend Operation Sophia by six months beyond its March 31 expiry date, but without new ship deployments.

Instead, the operation will rely on air missions and close coordination with Libya.

Since its launch in 2015, after a series of tragic shipwrecks, the mission has claimed the arrest of some 150 traffickers, and rescued 45,000 people.

But the election of a far right-populist government in Italy last year changed the fate of the mission, with authorities taking a much harsher stance towards rescued migrants heading for Italian shores.

Italy's anger effectively put an end to rescue operations through Sophia a year ago.

Sources told AFP the decision split the EU's 28 member states, with several countries wondering whether Sophia -- now a naval mission without a navy -- should be halted.

Under the stewardship of far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, Rome has insisted it should not have to carry the burden of dealing with migrants rescued at sea.

USS Ross tracked by Russian fleet after entering Black Sea
Washington (UPI) Apr 16, 2019 - The USS Ross, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, has been deployed to the Black Sea where Russia's fleet is monitoring its movement.

The Ross, which began its northbound transit of the Dardanelles Strait on Sunday, according to the U.S. Navy, is the fourth U.S. ship to visit the Black Sea since the start of the year.

The USS Donald Cook went to the area in February, the second time the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer entered the region in 2019. In January, the USS Fort McHenry, an amphibious warship, entered the Black Sea.

The Ross will "conduct maritime security operations and enhance regional maritime stability, combined readiness and naval capability with NATO allies and partners in the region," according to a U.S. Navy news release Tuesday.

The United States works with NATO allies and partners in the Black Sea under Operation Atlantic Resolve.

"Our allies in the Black Sea continue to play a key role in maintaining security in the European theater," said Cmdr. Dave Coles, commanding officer of Ross. "The crew and I look forward to enhancing our interoperability in a dynamic environment as well as experiencing the rich history and culture in this region."

The Dardanelles Strait serves as a vital transportation bridge between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Black Sea ports are in Odessa, Ukraine; Novorossiysk and Tuapse, Russia; Batumi, Georgia; Varna and Burgas, Bulgarie' Constanta, Romania; and Instanbul, Turkey.

The U.S. Navy routinely operates in the Black Sea consistent with international law and with the Montreux Convention signed in 1936. According to the document, Black Sea nations can only send warships with displacements of less than 15,000 tons into the Black Sea and these ships can only stay for 21 days.

Russia, which has considered the ships' presence a threat, tracks their movements from the sea and air.

"The Black Sea Fleet forces are constantly monitoring the movement of the U.S. Navy's Ross guided-missile destroyer that entered the Black Sea on April 14, 2019," said a statement issued by the Russian National Defense Management Center, reported by the state-run TASS news agency.

This includes surveillance by the coastal radio equipment of the fleet.

A Russian Navy Vasily Bykov-class patrol vessel and Russian Navy reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs were monitoring Ross' movements, according to TASS.

The Ross is forward-deployed at Naval Station Rota, Spain, as part of the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in Europe and Africa.

The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group also entered European waters earlier this month as part of the 6th Fleet after leaving its former home port of Norfolk, Va.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier was with its carrier air wing, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf, and destroyers USS Bainbridge, USS Mason and USS Nitzey. The Alvaro de Bazan-class Spanish frigate ESPS Mendez Nunez also joined the Truman strike group.

The U.S. and Spanish vessels first will travel to Gibraltar and then pass through the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, South China Sea and Pacific Ocean. 

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Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group enters European waters
Washington (UPI) Apr 9, 2019
The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has entered European waters after leaving its former homeport in Norfolk, Va., last week. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, along with its carrier air wing, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf, and destroyers USS Bainbridge, USS Mason and USS Nitzey, entered the European theater Monday, according to a Naval news release. The strike group left Naval Station Norfolk on April 1. Two other aircraft carriers, the USS Harry S. Truma ... read more