Rome Reopening Libyan Embassy Indication of 'Stabilized Situation' There

In an interview with Sputnik Arabic, former Egyptian Ambassador to Libya Hani Hilaf said that the Italian embassy's reopening in the Libyan capital Tripoli reflects the stabilization of the situation in this North African country and signals Rome's willingness to cooperate with the government of Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

In February 2015, Italy suspended operations at its embassy in Libya because of mounting insecurity in the troubled country. In August 2016, Giuseppe Perrone was appointed the new Italian Ambassador to Libya.

"The reopening of the Italian embassy in Tripoli first of all indicates that the situation in Libya is stabilizing and that the Italian government is confident in the safety of their employees in this country," Hani Hilaf said.

According to him, "in general, there is a hope for a political settlement of the situation in Libya," where the army seeks to stick to the orders given by the House of Representatives of Libya in Tobruk rather than those issued by the Presidential Council with the Government of National Accord in Tripoli.

"This situation can be changed either by Italy through its diplomatic activity and its influence on the warring parties or by the UN's Special Envoy to Libya Martin Kobler," Hilaf said.

He expressed hope that Russia will be able to contribute to help resolve the Libyan logjam.

"Seeing Kobler's ineffective actions in Libya, Russia urged him to suspend his activity there. I think that Russia will play a major role in resolving the Syrian crisis in the future," Hilaf said.

Libya descended into chaos in 2011, when a NATO-supported insurgency overthrew long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The war that followed has resulted in a number of militant and tribal groups vying for power, with some observers suggesting that Libya has effectively ceased to be a country. Less than a decade ago, it could boast of having one of the highest GDPs per capita in Africa.

As for the Italian embassy, it will have to grapple with a whole array of problems in Libya, including illegal migration.

In recent years, Libya became the main "supplier" of illegal migrants from Africa and the Middle East to Europe. Refugees enter Italy via "the Central Mediterranean route" on board overloaded vessels and rubber boats, with many of them dying on their way.

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