ROME: Rome will maintain its support for UN efforts to bring about presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya by the end of 2023, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told Gen. Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army, on Thursday.
Haftar is in Rome for meetings with Italian authorities on stabilizing Libya and North Africa. On Wednesday evening, he met with Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
A source in the prime minister’s office told Arab News that the issue of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean in unprecedented numbers to reach Italian shores was discussed on Thursday during a two-hour meeting.
“Haftar’s visit to Rome comes as Italy continues to grapple with a growing number of migrants and refugees arriving by sea from North Africa,” the source said.
“Many of them depart from Libya, including from the Cyrenaica region bordering Egypt, where Haftar has control.
“Haftar’s cooperation will be greatly appreciated, and we believe that the meeting with Prime Minister Meloni will bring some positive results.”
