Rival Libyan leaders meet in Italy to discuss possible election
Libya’s two main rival leaders met for the first time in more than five months and the prime minister backed a UN plan for an election in 2019, as Italy hosted a reconciliation conference a week after a vote was shelved for December. Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, whose weak but internationally recognised government is based in western Libya, met the commander who rules most of the east, Khalifa Haftar, in Palermo, Sicily on Tuesday. There were no announcements of major diplomatic breakthroughs, but Serraj’s spokesperson said on Twitter the prime minister was committed to a UN road map to hold an election in the spring after a constitutional framework is put in place. An Italian diplomat said Haftar had given his backing for Serraj to remain in office as prime minister until the election can be held. “You don’t change the horse until you cross the river,” the diplomat quoted Haftar as saying. Despite Haftar having said he would not participate in the conference, photos released by ...
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