Missile falls near Italian ship off Libya

Italy's defence ministry said Wednesday that an Italian naval ship off Libya reported that a missile fell into the water nearby, but it was unclear whether it had been fired or dropped by accident. "It could be a Libyan missile or an anti-aircraft missile that fell into the sea," Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa said on the sidelines of a press conference in Rome. "There is no reason to worry," he said, though he added that the ship -- the Bersagliere -- had "moved further off to be on the safe side." The missile fell into the water two kilometres from the frigate around 0840 GMT, he said. Italy, Libya's former colonial master, is a partner in the NATO mission carrying out air strikes in the country. In July, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini insisted there could be no resolution while Moamer Kadhafi was in power -- though Italy has also announced it is withdrawing its aircraft carrier in a cost-cutting move.