Italy’s PM Conte expects Libyan commander Haftar to join Palermo conference

Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte expects Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar to join the ongoing Palermo Conference organized by Rome, Reuters said. The conference is intended to push forward a new UN plan to stabilize the North African country. Italian officials were scrambling at the weekend to secure Haftar’s attendance. If he shows up, it will be his first meeting with Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj since a Paris summit in May, according to analysts. In an interview with Italian daily La Stampa published on Monday, Conte also said that Italy and France share the same viewpoint and objectives for the Libyan crisis.