Libyan-Born Italians Return to Birthplace

 

By Sabina Castelfranco

A group of Libyan-born Italians will return to Tripoli, Wednesday, for the first time since they were expelled when Colonel Moammar Gaddafi took power. Some 20,000 Italians were ordered to leave the country by the new Libyan government, in 1970.

Seven Italians born in Libya will be traveling to their country of birth Wednesday. They have not been allowed to return for the past 34 years. They were recently issued visas by the Libyan authorities.

The group includes a 34-year-old woman who is thought to be the last of the Italians who were born in Libya. She was too young to remember her home in Tripoli.

The group will stay in the Libya for five days. They will meet with government officials and visit the places where they lived and grew up. Among them is Giovanna Ortu, president of the Association of Italians Repatriated¹ from Libya.

Mrs. Ortu says Colonel Gaddafi confiscated² all their property, when he came to power. Then, he expelled them. They never returned to Libya.

Mrs. Ortu says this was not so noticeable when Libya was closed to tourism and normal visits. But, when sanctions were lifted by the United States, the discrimination towards Italians who were formerly³ residents in Libya became more evident.

This group is only the first, says Mrs Ortu. From now on, all those who were born in Tripoli will be able to return and will be granted a visa.

Twenty-thousand Italians were exiled from Libya, when Colonel Gaddafi took power. Most had been in the country since the days when Libya was an Italian colony.

Relations between Tripoli and Rome began improving, significantly, following the 1998 signing of a joint⁴ Italian-Libyan statement in which the Rome government expressed regret and apologized for the pain and damages caused by Italy's occupation.

The return of the exiled Italians is a sign of the steadily⁵ improving relations Libya is enjoying with the West.

Colonel Gaddafi has also promised that October 7, until now marked as "Vendetta⁶ Day," because that is when Italy invaded Libya in 1911, will now be celebrated⁷ as "Friendship Day".

Sabina Castelfranco, VOA news, Rome.
注释：
Libyan-born 利比亚出生的
Tripoli 的黎波里（利比亚首都）
take power 取得政权
visa 签证
repatriate 归国
confiscate 充公
come to power （开始）掌权，上台
tourism 观光
discrimination 歧视
exile 流放
colony 殖民地
vendetta 世仇，宿怨

1 repatriated   

v.把（某人）遣送回国，遣返( repatriate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The refugees were forcibly repatriated. 难民被强制遣送回国。
• Ancient artworks were repatriated from the US to Greece. 古代艺术品从美国遣送回希腊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

3 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

6 vendetta   

n.世仇，宿怨

参考例句：

• For years he pursued a vendetta against the Morris family.多年来他一直在寻求向莫里斯家族报世仇。
• She conducted a personal vendetta against me.她对我有宿仇。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。