'The Italian government will not go to Marrakesh and will not sign the deal because this issue is too important to be decided by the government alone', Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told the lower house of parliament on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte did not rule out signing the controversial Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, but stressed the parliament had the final say.
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'The government will not participate in Marrakesh, reserving the option to adopt the document, or not, only when parliament has expressed its opinion', Conte was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.
The non-binding pact, which seeks to cover all dimensions of international migration, has been losing support over concerns it will affect national migration policies. The United States, Austria, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Israel, Switzerland, and Australia said they would not go.
Italy and Greece have been especially hard hit by the EU refugee crisis, as they often serve as the arrival points for migrants and refugees. More than 16,000 migrants have been moved from Greece and Italy to other EU countries over the past few years.
