Italy hosts Libya conference in fresh bid to solve crisis

PALERMO, Italy — A twoday conference on the future of Libya kicked off in Italy’s southern city of Palermo on Monday, drawing key Libyan and international actors in an effort to support a fresh United Nations stabilization plan.

Italy hopes the conference will resurrect efforts to stage elections in Libya, after the UN announced last week that the OPEC member country could not hold a planned election on Dec 10 because of violence and stalled talks.

Participants included Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, Head of the High Council of State Khalid al-Mishri, President of the House of Representatives Ageela Saleh, and UN Envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame.

About 38 delegations — comprising heads of state and government and foreign ministers from 30 countries — were taking part in the summit, a representative for the Italian government said just ahead of the first arrivals on Monday evening.

They would include representatives from France, Russia, China, the United States, Germany, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates among others, as well as from the European Union, the Arab League, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

Meanwhile, general Khalifa Haftar, the military commander of Libya’s eastern-based army, has arrived in Italy for meetings with heads of state, but will not attend a conference on Libya hosted by Rome, his command said on Tuesday.

“This conference has been organized as a contribution to the stabilization process within the framework of the United Nations,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a short declaration ahead of the opening ceremony.

UN envoy Salame also said he hoped another attempt to hold an election will take place by June but Libyans should first hold a national conference in early 2019 to decide on the poll’s format.

The envoy said the national conference should “preferably” take place on Libyan soil.

Surveys had shown that 80 percent of Libyans want elections to end the stalemate between Libya’s rival administrations.