UN envoy lauds Italy's upcoming meet on Libya

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Tunis, Nov 9 (IANS/AKI) UN envoy Ghassan Salame has praised Italy's conference in Palermo next week on Libya.

"The forthcoming conference on Libya to be hosted by Italy is an occasion for (UN) member states to offer tangible support to the training of professional security forces," Salame said in the briefing to the UN Security Council.

"Libyans should be helped to turn the page of their reliance on armed groups for their protection," he said.

The comments appeared to officially bury a UN plan for national polls in December due to the ongoing violence and a deadlock between rival administrations.

Italy is seeking to play a leading role in efforts to stabilise its turmoil-wracked former colony.

To this end, an international conference is taking place in Palermo on Monday and Tuesday which the government hopes the main Libyan power-brokers and key international players will attend.

The Palermo summit will also provide an opportunity "to gain more practical support to establish a system for redistribution of Libya's national wealth, not to the benefit of overnight millionaires, but for the whole population", Salame said.

--IANS/AKI
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