Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio will travel to war-ravaged Libya in "the next few days", he told public broadcaster RAI's 'Porta Porta' TV talk on Tuesday, calling for greater dialogue "with all sides" in the conflict.
"In the next few days I will go to Libya," Di Maio told show host Bruno Vespa. "I think we need more dialogue with all sides," he stated.
"Italy doesn't supply weapons to the Libyan sides," Di Maio said, adding that the government "has a key relationship with Libya's institutions".
During his visit, it is understood Di Maio will hold talks with member of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli, including premier Fayez al-Serraj, foreign minister Mohamed Siyala and interior minister Fathi Bashaga.
Di Maio's visit comes amid growing fears of a further escalation in Libya's six-year civil war. Egypt's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned on Saturday that recent advances by the Turkey-backed GNA forces could prompt a military intervention by Cairo in the oil-rich former Italian colony, which has been torn apart by rival militias and escalating foreign intervention in the conflict since the Nato-backed ouster of late dictator Muammar Gaddaf in 2011.
