Landmark polls in Libya due to be held on 24 December must take place, the war-torn country's parliament speaker Aquila Saleh is understood to have told his Italian counterpart during talks in Rome on Thursday.
"No to any attempts to block or postpone the elections beyond the agreed date of 24 December," Saleh told Italy's parliament speaker Roberto Fico, according to Saleh's advisor Abdel Hamid al-Safi.
During his talks with Fico, Saleh expressed appreciation for the Italian government's continuing interest in Libya, Safi said.
"Italy is always at the forefront of the countries which back a political solution in Libya," Saleh is said to have stated.
