Italian Foreign Minister arrives in Libya to meet GNA Prime Minister
The Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano today held talks in Tripoli with top Libyan officials on peace efforts for the war-wracked country and ways to curb illegal migration to Europe.
Alfano met Government of National Accord head Fayez al- Sarraj and his vice president Ahmad Meitig to discuss “efforts being made towards national reconciliation”, the GNA said in a statement.
Alfano’s trip to Libya came hot on the heels of a two-day visit Thursday and Friday to the oil-rich North African nation by his British counterpart Boris Johnson.
Johnson met Sarraj today and congratulated him on meeting earlier this week in abu dhabi with Libyan military strongman Khalifa al-Haftar, who does not recognise the GNA’s legitimacy.
Italy, too, has welcomed the meeting between Haftar and Serraj. The foreign ministry has said that Alfano’s visit was aimed at renewing Italy’s support for peace efforts to ensure Libya’s stability.
Alfano and Libyan leaders also discussed ways of curbing the influx of migrants trying to reach Europe from Libya, as authorities Saturday said that hundreds of migrants were rescued by the Libyan coastguard.
The Libyan judiciary in March suspended a deal struck the previous month between Libya and Italy aimed at bolstering joint efforts to stop the flow of migrants.
In April, the Italian government said that a dozen of rival tribes in southern Libya had agreed to cooperate on securing the country’s borders to prevent illegal migration
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