European Splits Cloud Italy's Libyan Peace Effort
- Palermo talks start Monday but eastern leader may not attend
- Instability in North Africa affects migration, security, oil
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First it was Cairo. Then Paris. Now, it’s Sicily, landing ground for migrants traversing the Mediterranean to Europe. As international officials descend on the Italian island for the latest effort to stitch together a divided Libya, hopes for a breakthrough are bleak as ever.
Stabilizing the oil-rich North African nation is a priority for European governments, pressured by waves of migration that have fed the rise of populism, and worried that jihadists fleeing Syria will establish themselves 500 kilometers (310 miles) from their shores. The United Nations has a plan but has struggled to push rival politicians into talks, let alone new elections they fear will only curb powers won by force or foreign intervention.