ROME: Libya should hold elections “as soon as possible” so the country does not fall into “a new transitional phase,” Italian Special Envoy Nicola Orlando told interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.
In a meeting in Tripoli, Orlando told Dbeibeh that another transitional phase could damage the country’s path to political reconciliation, a source in the Italian Foreign Ministry told Arab News.
The meeting was also attended by Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Al-Mangoush and Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Buccino.
It mostly focused on the local political situation, bilateral relations in various fields and the fight against illegal migration, according to a statement issued by Dbeibeh’s office.
Orlando asked for “more efficient cooperation” on the migration issue as most of the ships carrying migrants from North Africa to Europe depart from Libya.
Dbeibeh stressed the “great change that Libya has seen in terms of stability,” and said his country is finally experiencing a “season of reconstruction.”
He said the national unity government “continues to support every effort aimed at establishing a new government elected by the Libyan people.”
Elections that were meant to take place last month were suspended by the High Electoral Commission.