Italian Prime Minister, Libyan National Army Commander Meet In Rome

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Thursday received Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar in his Palazzo Chigi residence in Rome, the minister's cabinet said.

ROME (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2018) Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Thursday received Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar in his Palazzo Chigi residence in Rome, the minister's cabinet said.

"At the center of the talks was the follow-up to the Palermo conference and support of the efforts taken by the UN special representative and head of the support mission in Libya, Ghassan Salama, as part of the peace process," the statement reads.

This is the third visit to Italy by the Libyan military commander in a little more than a month, according to the Ansa news agency.

Haftar traveled to Palermo in mid-November for a summit on the Libyan conflict.

His return to Italy is seen as an attempt to balance out this week's visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels by his rival, Fayez Sarraj, who heads the government of national accord (GNA).

Libya has been locked in a power struggle between the UN-backed GNA and armed groups controlling the east after its longtime leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was deposed in a NATO-led invasion in 2011.