Italy optimistic over Berlin conference on Libya

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - Italy’s prime minister on has voiced optimism about the Berlin conference meeting Sunday to find a solution to the Libya crisis.

“We are optimists. We believe it will be important to start a peaceful and political solution to the Libyan crisis, Italy has always worked with clarity and determination for this,” Giuseppe Conte told reporters on Sunday after meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of the summit.

“We do not want anyone to step back, we want everyone to take a step towards peace and stability in Libya," he added.

“A military solution will never bring a definitive solution,” said Conte, adding that he is confident that all actors will share this view starting today.

Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: warlord Khalifa Haftar’s in eastern Libya, supported mainly by Egypt and the UAE, and the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

Libya’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli had been under attack by Haftar since last April, and fighting over the last nine months killed more than 1,000 people.

On Jan. 12, the warring sides of the Libyan conflict announced a cease-fire in response to a joint call by Turkish and Russian leaders.

But last Monday, talks for a permanent cease-fire deal ended without an agreement after Haftar left a Moscow meeting without signing the deal.

In the wake of the Moscow talks, Germany invited world powers and regional actors to a conference in Berlin on Sunday in a bid to work out a lasting cease-fire deal and pave the way for a political solution in Libya.

*Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic Cakmak