Palermo Conference
The Palermo Conference was a two-day long conference which took place in Palermo, Sicily on 12–13 November 2018[1] to discuss United Nations policy concerning Libya.[2] Organized by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte,[citation needed] it was attended by delegations from 38 countries, including Russia, the United States, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, as well as representatives of many rival Libyan factions fighting for power in the country.[citation needed]
Attendants included Libyan prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj,[citation needed] Libyan field marshal Khalifa Haftar,[2] Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,[2] Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi,[2] Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani,[citation needed] Libyan parliamentary speaker Aguila Saleh,[2] and Khalid al-Mishri[2] speaker of the upper chamber in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Turkey's delegation, headed by Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, withdrew from the conference on 13 November as a result of the exclusion of Turkish officials, on Haftar's insistence, from a private meeting between the conflict's key players.[3]
While the conference led to no significant breakthroughs, it marked the first occasion on which Italy legitimized Haftar as a party in Libyan peace negotiations since the 2016 conclusion of the agreements that led to the establishment of the Government of National Accord.[4] Haftar, who had made a surprise visit to Moscow earlier that month, was initially reluctant to attend the Palermo talks.[3] He was likely convinced by Egypt and Russia to take part in the event.[4][5]
Italian lawmaker Marco Zanni praised the conference. He was quoted as saying "The conference for Libya in Palermo has been a fundamental step in order to stabilize Libya and for the security of the entire Mediterranean". adding that the event constituted Italy's attempt to take a leading role in the Libyan peace process.[citation needed]
List of participating countries
[edit | edit source]The countries that participated in the conference are listed below.[6]
- File:Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria
- File:Flag of Austria.svg Austria
- File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
- File:Flag of Chad.svg Chad
- File:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic
- File:Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt
- File:Flag of Ethiopia.svg Ethiopia
- File:Flag of France.svg France
- File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany
- File:Flag of Greece.svg Greece
- File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy
- File:Flag of Jordan.svg Jordan
- File:Flag of Malta.svg Malta
- File:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco
- File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
- File:Flag of Niger.svg Niger
- File:Flag of Poland.svg Poland
- File:Flag of Qatar.svg Qatar
- File:Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg Republic of the Congo
- File:Flag of Russia.svg Russia
- File:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia
- File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain
- File:Flag of Sudan.svg Sudan
- File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
- File:Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland
- File:Flag of Tunisia.svg Tunisia
- File:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey
- File:Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg United Arab Emirates
- File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
- File:Flag of the United States.svg United States
Supranational organizations
[edit | edit source]- File:Flag of Europe.svg European Union
- File:Flag of the Arab League.svg Arab League
- File:Flag of the United Nations.svg United Nations
- File:Flag of the African Union.svg African Union
- World Bank
- International Monetary Fund
References
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