Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Italian Prime Minster Giuseppe Conte agreed on intensifying joint efforts to support endeavours for a political settlement to the Libyan crisis, one day after talks on a possible truce agreement between rival factions in the war-torn country collapsed. According to a statement by the Egyptian presidency, El-Sisi and Conte discussed the Libyan crisis ahead of the planned Berlin conference next week, agreeing on supporting efforts for a comprehensive solution to the crisis to restore stability in Libya and preserve its territorial integrity, sovereignty and resources. The meeting between the Egyptian president and the Italian PM came one day after Moscow brokered talks to bring an end to the intensified Libyan civil war collapsed after Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar rejected a long-term ceasefire deal with Libya's UN recognised government headed by Fayez Al-Sarraj. For weeks, diplomatic efforts have been taken to de-escalate tensions in Libya amid Turkish plans to send troops to the country, which have been denounced by Western powers. Egypt has reiterated its firm support of the eastern-based Libyan National Army and its commander Haftar, stressing its rejection of "any form of intervention in Libya's domestic affairs." The talks also saw discussions on bilateral matters and the latest developments in the investigation into the 2016 murder of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni in Cairo, where they discussed the ongoing joint cooperation between Egypt and Italy to uncover the circumstances of the killing.
