Breaking: Turkey withdraws from Libyan peace conference

The Conference on Libyan Settlement taking place in Palermo, Italy, has drawn leading Libyan political actors, as well as politicians from other countries. The conference began on 12 November and is being attended by delegations from some 38 countries and international organizations.

According to an official statement by Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, Ankara has withdrawn from the Palermo Conference on Libyan Settlement with "deep disappointment."

"Unfortunately, the international community has failed to convene today. The crisis in Libya won't be resolved if certain countries continue to undermine the [peace settlement] process for the sake of their own interests," he said.

According to the statement, the withdrawal was prompted by Turkey's exclusion from a meeting of key players taking part in the conference.

Oktay said that any meeting that doesn't include Turkey is destined to be "counter-productive for the solution of the problem."

He also emphasised that it would be best for Libya if foreign intervention in its internal affairs was reduced, not increased.