The United States has expressed its "deep appreciation" to Italy for taking the lead at the "important" international conference on Libya that wrapped up in Palermo on Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
"The US welcomes the conclusions announced by the government of Italy following the November 12-13 conference on Libya in Palermo, which brought Libyan and international leaders together to advance our shared goal of helping Libya’s institutions break their political deadlock and ensure a secure and prosperous future for all Libyans."
"The US extends its deep appreciation to the government of Italy for its leadership in hosting this important event," the statement added.
US backed the Palermo conference's conclusions that progress in stabilising Libya and developing democracy in the chaos-stricken country requires "sustained attention" to the economic and security aspects of the seven-year conflict, the statement underlined.
The US also "strongly supports" the United Nations special representative Ghassan Salame's new plan for a National Conference in Libya early next year leading to an process starting in the Spring whose goal is "an inclusive constitutional process and credible, peaceful, and well-prepared elections," the statement said.
"We look forward to continuing our close partnership with all of our international partners as the Libyan people strive to realise a stable and unified government," the statement added.
