Rome, 22 June (AKI) - Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini has called for an "suspension of hostilities" in Libya to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

"Regarding Nato, it is fair to ask for increasingly detailed information on results as well as precise guidelines on the dramatic errors involving civilians," he said on Wednesday in address to the Senate in Rome.

Libya said on Tuesday that 19 civilians have been killed in a Nato raid around 70 kilometres west of Tripoli.

Frattini said the most important objective is to get the rebels and Libyan forces to implement a ceasefire but "a humanitarian ceasefire is of fundamental importance to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered immediately," he said.

Italy's participation in the Nato mission against Libyan forces has recently risked causing a split between the ruling coalition's members. The Northern League party has demanded that Italy pull out of the mission, while prime minister Berlusconi and Frattini who are both from the People of Freedom party insist that Italy respect its commitment to the 28-member military alliance.

Meanwhile, Nato on Wednesday defended its reputation in the wake of the Tuesday's civilian deaths, calling its credibility "unquestionable.''

"What is questionable is the Gaddafi's regime's use of human shields (and) firing missiles from mosques," Bracken told reporters from operation headquarters in Naples, Italy.