Italy PM Says Solution to Migrant Crisis is Stability in Libya

Restoring stability in war-wracked Libya is the only way to put an end to the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Friday.

"It's a sea, not a cemetery. The problem in this moment is the situation on the ground in Libya," Renzi told a joint press conference with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House, saying "peace and stability of Libyan institutions" needed to be restored.

Renzi was speaking after authorities in Italy said more than 11,000 migrants had been rescued from the Mediterranean in the past six days alone, with hundreds more expected later Friday.

More than 300 migrants were rescued Friday by the Italian navy and coastguard patrols, among them 45 women and 23 children, who were being taken to the Sicilian port of Pozzallo.

The situation in Libya, a key departure point for migrants, has prompted a hike in the number of migrants trying to reach Europe.

Though many hundreds have died trying to reach Europe, rights groups say their situation is so desperate the extreme danger has not dissuaded many from attempting the crossing.

Renzi said Italy was working "every day" with the United Nations and regional allies to address the migrant problem.

It all comes back "to stability in Libya," he said.