Italy's deputy premier Luigi Di Maio on Monday denied that the international conference on stabilising Libya being held in Palermo was a failure, saying: "It hasn't started yet."
"The conference hasn't begun yet and they are already talking about a failure?" Di Maio said to reporters in Rome.
The conference opens on Monday and takes place through Tuesday. A number of key Libyan and international players are attending the meeting, although powerful eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar's presence appeared to be in doubt.
Di Maio, from the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement is also Italy's welfare and industry minister.
