Camille Barrère


Camille Barrère was a French diplomat, most notably the ambassador to Italy from 1897 to 1924. In 1902, Barrère negotiated a secret accord with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Giulio Prinetti that ended the two nation's historical rivalry for North Africa. The Prinetti-Barrère Accord stated that, in the event of a redistribution of Ottoman lands in northern Africa, France would not contest an Italian claim on the lands of the Tripolitania Vilayet, which makes up modern Libya. In return, Italy would not contest a French claim on the Ottoman territory of Morocco. This agreement allowed for the French Agadir Crisis in Morocco in 1911 and the Italo-Turkish War of 1911-1912 that resulted in the taking of those territories. Barrère also was a key figure in arranging the 1915 secret Treaty of London between Italy and the Triple Entente that resulted in Italy abandoning its Triple Alliance partners of Germany and Austro-Hungary during the First World War.