Italy's Eni eyes restart of operations in Libya

CAIRO (AP) — Italian oil giant Eni SpA says it has signed a memorandum with Libya's rebels to restart a key pipeline that carries natural gas from the North African nation to Italy.

Eni said Monday that both it and the Benghazi, Libya-based National Transitional Council — the rebel government — are pushing ahead to create "conditions for a rapid and complete recovery of Eni's activities in Libya" and to restarting the Greenstream pipeline.

Eni also said it will send a cargo of refined fuels and will help assess the state of Libya's oil infrastructure after the six-month civil war pitting the rebels against forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

The Italian firm was the largest foreign producer in Libya before the start of the fighting.