The Italian Envoy to Libya, Nicola Orlando, affirmed his country’s support for the elections and the political process led by the United Nations (UN) in Libya.
This came in a tweet he posted on his Twitter account after his meeting in Egypt with the Head of the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Tripoli, Mohamed Tharwat, and the Deputy Foreign Minister for the Middle East, Ahmed Abdel Meguid.
Orlando explained that the took place within the framework of discussing the political and security track in Libya and coordination efforts with the Egyptian side.
Earlier in January, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Piero Fassino, stated that there was an urgent need for an initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) to “unfreeze” the stabilisation process in Libya. This entered a stalemate after the 24th of December elections were postponed.
In press statements, Fassino added, “in the absence of immediate or at least timely interventions by the EU and Washington, there is a risk that Turkey and other actors driven by colonial and non-colonial interests will take over the country under the pretext of guaranteeing a future of political stability and economic prosperity, as well as peace in the North African country.”
This is why Fassino is calling for a new international initiative, after the Berlin II Conference. The 23rd of June meeting, under the leadership of Germany and the UN, brought together the Libyan transitional government and the representatives of 17 countries that have interests in the area. These included countries such as Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria, and France to work on restoring stability to Libya.
He stressed that the Libyan Foreign Minister, Najla Al-Mangoush, underlined everyone’s commitment to “free, inclusive, and safe elections on 24th of December”.
The Italian diplomat noted that the commitment was also signed by Turkey, which had given the green-light to withdraw its-affiliated forces and mercenaries from the country. This is however has not yet taken place.
“Despite the efforts of Italy, France, and Germany, the commitment to the specified election date was not possible, and it was postponed. We fear a new postponement of the elections after two months, which will be a definitive sign of the will of regional powers to keep eastern, western, and southern Libya under their control,” he said.