Reuters

Rome: Libya would be interested in buying up to 10 per cent of Italian oil giant ENI, one of a number of investments it is considering in Italy, the North African country's ambassador to Italy was reported as saying.

The investment, which at ENI's closing price of 15.39 euros on Friday would entail spending more than 6 billion euros, would make Libya ENI's second-biggest shareholder after the Italian state, which has a 20.3 per cent stake.

In comments about other potential investments published in Italian newspapers on Sunday, Hafed Gaddur said he was not interested in the telecommunications sector.

"We have in mind five to six operations, among which I exclude telecommunications," he was quoted as saying in business daily Il Sole 24 Ore. Other newspapers had him speaking of four to five operations.