ROME, Dec 24: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte payed a visit to Libya on Sunday, during which he held talks with the head of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez Sarraj, and Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar, the government’s press service said. “In Tripoli, the president of the Council of Ministers met with Chairman of the Presidential Council [of Libya] Fayez Sarraj and Chairman of the High State Council Khaled Mishri. Then, he paid a visit to the Abu Sitta naval base to greet military personnel who have been on mission in Tripoli. In Benghazi, Conte met with Libyan National Army Commander Khalifa Haftar,” the press service said. Local media, meanwhile, reported that Conte was also expected to meet with Aguila Saleh, the speaker of the Tobruk-based parliament, before returning to Rome later in the day. In mid-November, Italy hosted the two-day Palermo conference on the Libyan conflict settlement. Though the conference failed to produce any breakthrough, the participants confirmed their commitment to counter terrorism fight and efforts to settle the conflict by diplomatic means. In early December, as a follow-up to the conference, Haftar held talks with Conte in Rome. Libya has been gripped by conflict since 2011, when the country’s longtime leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was overthrown and killed. The eastern part of the crisis-torn state is governed by its parliament, with headquarters in the city of Tobruk. The parliament is backed by the Libyan National Army. At the same time, the UN-backed GNA, headed by Sarraj, operates in the country’s west and is headquartered in Tripoli.
(AGENCIES)
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