Palermo Conference
The Palermo Conference was a two-day long conference which took place in Palermo, Sicily on 12–13 November 2018[1] to discuss United Nations policy concerning Libya.[2] Organized by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte,[citation needed] it was attended by delegations from 38 countries, including Russia, the United States, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, as well as representatives of many rival Libyan factions fighting for power in the country.[citation needed]
Attendants included Libyan prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj,[citation needed] Libyan field marshal Khalifa Haftar,[2] Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,[2] Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi,[2] Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani,[citation needed] Libyan parliamentary speaker Aguila Saleh,[2] and Khalid al-Mishri[2] speaker of the upper chamber in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Turkey's delegation, headed by Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, withdrew from the conference on 13 November as a result of the exclusion of Turkish officials, on Haftar's insistence, from a private meeting between the conflict's key players.[3]
While the conference led to no significant breakthroughs, it marked the first occasion on which Italy legitimized Haftar as a party in Libyan peace negotiations since the 2016 conclusion of the agreements that led to the establishment of the Government of National Accord.[4] Haftar, who had made a surprise visit to Moscow earlier that month, was initially reluctant to attend the Palermo talks.[3] He was likely convinced by Egypt and Russia to take part in the event.[4][5]
Italian lawmaker Marco Zanni praised the conference. He was quoted as saying "The conference for Libya in Palermo has been a fundamental step in order to stabilize Libya and for the security of the entire Mediterranean". adding that the event constituted Italy's attempt to take a leading role in the Libyan peace process.[citation needed]
List of participating countries
[edit]The countries that participated in the conference are listed below.[6]
Algeria
Austria
Canada
Chad
Czech Republic
Egypt
Ethiopia
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Jordan
Malta
Morocco
Netherlands
Niger
Poland
Qatar
Republic of the Congo
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Sudan
Sweden
Switzerland
Tunisia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Supranational organizations
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Palermo Conference on Libya". www.imperialvalleynews.com. 15 November 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
- ^ a b c d e f "Renegade General Khalifa Haftar joins Libya conference in Palermo". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
- ^ a b Talmiz, Ahmad (23 November 2018). "Palermo conference tries to tame Libyan factions". Arab News. Archived from the original on 24 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ a b Lukyanov, Grigory (16 November 2018). "The Palermo Conference on Libya: Any Achievements?". Valdai Discussion Club. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ De Giovannangeli, Umberto (26 October 2018). "La Russia a Palermo "garantirà" la presenza di Haftar". L'Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ Zaptia, Sami (14 November 2019). "Palermo Libya conference makes no major breakthrough, postpones elections, reaffirms LPA and Action Plan". Libya Herald. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2019.