Italy has brought together the main players in the Mediterranean region and has kick-started dialogue on conflict-wracked Libya, Italy's premier Giuseppe Conte tweeted on Tuesday after a meeting in Palermo with Libya's rival leaders and top officials from Europe, Russia, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt.
"Italy unites the protagonists of the Mediterranean region and relaunches dialogue on Libya. #ForLibyaWithLibya#" read the tweet.
The accord reached at Tuesday's meeting held on the sidelines of an international conference in Palermo on stabilising Libya "is a major step forward" which "has surpassed the Italian government's expectations", according to sources.
"The agreement about to be concluded today has surpassed the Italian government's expectations. It is a very strong, binding accord that is a major step forward," the sources said.
Conte, Libya's eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar and United Nations backed prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj attended Tuesday's meeting, Adnkronos learned.
UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame, Russia's premier Dmitri Medvedev, European Union president Donald Tusk, Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi, Algeria's president Ahmed Ouyahia, Egypt's president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, and France's foreign minister Yves Le Drian were also present at the meeting, sources said.
