Foreign minister Luigi Di Maio has voiced grave concern at the worsening security situation in war-wracked Libya and the threat it poses to the region, reaffirming Italy's view that there cannot be a military solution to the drawn-out conflict.
"It is increasingly urgent to return to dialogue aimed at a political solution," Di Maio said at a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Such dialogue must include all of Libya's rival factions and guaranteed that the oil-rich country's resources are distributed "equitably" for the benefit of all its population, said Di Maio.
In his remarks, Di Maio reiterated Italy's strong commitment to the UN's efforts to mediate a peace process to stabilised Libya, according to a statement.
UN chief Antonio Guterres, UN special envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame and representatives of the European Union and the Arab League attended the meeting, which was co-chaired by Di Maio and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, the statement said.
The almost six-month-old battle for Tripoli between eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces and militias allied to the internationally recognised government has driven at least 120,000 people from their homes and killed well over a thousand, among them more than 100 civilians, the UN says.
