Premier Giorgia Meloni and eastern
Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar discussed the recent
unprecedented upsurge in migrant flows to Italy in their
two-hour talks in Rome Thursday, sources said as the talks were
still ongoing.
Meloni and the 'strongman of Cyrenaica' focused on the
unprecedented growth of the migratory phenomenon towards Italy,
the sources said, among topics of mutual interest.
Haftar is visiting Rome to continue dialogue on the
stabilisation of Libya and North Africa.
He met Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani Wednesday night and
discussed the migrant issue, among other things.
Haftar has been behind much of the upheaval in Libya in recent
years, but is now considered an important interlocutor in the
country following a deal with Tripoli Premier Abdelhamid
Dbeibah.
His visit comes as Italy continues to grapple with a growing
number of migrants and refugees arriving by sea from North
Africa.
Many depart from Libya, including from the Cyrenaica region
bordering Egypt, where Haftar has control.
During her talks with Haftar, Meloni also voiced support for
United Nations efforts to bring about fresh elections in Libya
by the end of this year.
She said Italy confirms its support for UN action in Libya in
revitalising the political process that could lead to
presidential and parliamentary elections by the end of 2023.
On 28 January Meloni was in Tripoli, where she met the Prime
Minister of the Libyan National Unity Government, Abdelhamid
Dbeibah.
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