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]