Meloni to ask Haftar to cut foreign presence in Libya

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 7 - Premier Giorgia Meloni is to ask General Khalifa Haftar to reduce the presence of foreign troops, primarily Russian militias, in Libya when she meets the Tobruk-based strongman on Tuesday, sources said ahead of the meeting.
    It is important to move the political process forward, preserving the unity of Libyan institutions, and to work to end the presence of foreign forces on Libyan soil, the sources said.
    Meloni is scheduled to meet the Libyan National Army (LNA) chief in Benghazi after the first part of her official visit to Libya, in Tripoli. Italy, the same sources point out, is keen on being present throughout Libya, working with all the different Libyan actors.
    Haftar and the LNA is de facto backed by the governments of Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. France has also provided tacit backing for Haftar's forces.
    As a result of the coalitions between local actors and foreign armed groups, Libya houses 10 foreign military bases and over 20,000 mercenaries of Russian, Syrian, Turkish and Sudanese origin.
    But the most significant presence is the pro-Haftar Russian troops. (ANSA).