On Wednesday, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, held a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Luigi Di Maio, in Rome. They discussed a number of regional issues, especially the situation in Libya, and the inter-Libyan dialogue held in Morocco.
During the meeting, Di Maio stressed that Italy appreciated Moroccan efforts to host the recent negotiations. Bourita said that the two parties had reached an important consensus regarding a number of controversial issues. He stated that the Libyans were able to solve their problems themselves, without any foreign interference.
The two also tackled ways to enhance mutual cooperation, and the strategic partnership between Morocco and Italy.
The recent dialogue was between delegations from the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS), and the Tobruk-based Libyan Parliament. This was held in the Moroccan city of Bouznika, from 2-6 October. The first round of discussions took place from 6-10 September. The dialogue led to “important understandings” between the Libyan parties and brought their domestic crisis closer than ever to a peaceful end.
Recent weeks have witnessed a slew of diplomatic activity. Egypt and Morocco have both hosted talks. These saw representatives agree on an electoral calendar to organise elections within 18 months and demilitarise Sirte.
In his remarks on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he felt encouraged by recent developments. Such developments include a lull in fighting, and the freezing of confrontations between the two sides. According to him, Monday’s meeting “highlighted the need to seize the opportunity created by the positive developments over the past few weeks to achieve peace and stability in Libya.”