ROME, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The Prime Minister of Libya's UN-backed government Fayez al-Sarraj met with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome on Tuesday, in the first of a series of high-level meetings the Libyan leader would hold across Europe in the coming days.
This was al-Sarraj's first trip to Italy since a two-day international Conference for Libya was organized in Italy's Palermo last November under the auspices of the Italian government.
Meanwhile, the northern African country remains torn between rival militias, and a military offensive to take over the capital, Tripoli, was under way by forces of the east-based army led by General Khalifa Haftar.
The conflict began when the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army led by Haftar began its advance on the UN-recognized government in Tripoli on April 4.
The talks between al-Sarraj and Conte lasted about one and a half hour. It provided "a chance for an update on the developments on the ground and an exchange of views on the Libyan situation," the PM's office said in a short statement.
"The President of the Council (i.e. the prime minister) reiterated the Italian government's strong commitment to revitalize an effective and maintainable political process," reads the statement.
Later, on the sidelines of an event at a military base at the outskirts of Rome, the Italian prime minister further confirmed Italy's position against a military way out of the Libyan crisis.
"The military option cannot be a solution, and that is what the Italian government has been saying to the parts involved, urging all of them to avoid an escalation," Conte told local media in a message broadcast by his office.
He announced he intended to hold direct talks with General Haftar as well.
"I trust I will meet General Haftar directly; we are still trying to define place and time, but I am confident we would meet soon," Conte said.
The prime minister further warned a military perspective "could be pursued only at the cost of (losing) human lives, and of a humanitarian crisis."
"Besides, it would lead to an illusory stabilization of the country, because it is clear that a military option usually triggers violent reactions," Conte added.
After Italy, the Libyan prime minister will continue his European tour to France, Germany, and possibly the UK, according to Italian media.
On Sunday, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called for a week-long humanitarian ceasefire in Tripoli, where the militias allied with al-Sarraj's government were fighting to push back the offensive led by General Haftar since early April.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday, a total of 432 people have been killed, 2,069 others injured and 50,000 displaced in the fighting between the UN-backed Libyan government and the east-based army in and around the capital Tripoli.
