Meloni and Haftar talk migrant flows to Italy

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 4 - Premier Giorgia Meloni and eastern Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar discussed the recent unprecedented upsurge in migrant flows to Italy in their two-hour talks in Rome Thursday, sources said as the talks were still ongoing.
    Meloni and the 'strongman of Cyrenaica' focused on the unprecedented growth of the migratory phenomenon towards Italy, the sources said, among topics of mutual interest.
    Haftar is visiting Rome to continue dialogue on the stabilisation of Libya and North Africa.
    He met Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani Wednesday night and discussed the migrant issue, among other things.
    Haftar has been behind much of the upheaval in Libya in recent years, but is now considered an important interlocutor in the country following a deal with Tripoli Premier Abdelhamid Dbeibah.
    His visit comes as Italy continues to grapple with a growing number of migrants and refugees arriving by sea from North Africa.
    Many depart from Libya, including from the Cyrenaica region bordering Egypt, where Haftar has control.
    During her talks with Haftar, Meloni also voiced support for United Nations efforts to bring about fresh elections in Libya by the end of this year.
    She said Italy confirms its support for UN action in Libya in revitalising the political process that could lead to presidential and parliamentary elections by the end of 2023.
    On 28 January Meloni was in Tripoli, where she met the Prime Minister of the Libyan National Unity Government, Abdelhamid Dbeibah. (ANSA).