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            US, Italy Address Libya's Internal, External Challenges

   by Pamela Dockins

   Libya's new government and its security challenges are the focus for
   diplomats Monday as they gather in Vienna to discuss the situation in
   the country which has been grappling to overcome the chaos that
   followed the 2011 ouster and killing of leader Moammar Gadhafi.

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo
   Gentiloni are co-hosting the session aimed at supporting the Government
   of National Accord that Western powers hope can unite Libya.

   The internationally recognized government is facing challenges from
   rival factions.

   The new government is also being challenged by Islamic State-affiliated
   militants who have established a base in the central city of Sirte and
   have used that base to launch attacks in neighboring Tunisia.

   All of the participants in Monday's ministerial meeting would likely
   agree that Islamic State is a "huge problem for Libya and the region,"
   said a senior State Department official.

   "Libya is a keystone for access to the Sahel, the Maghreb, the Near
   East and the Mediterranean and Europe and to have Daesh have a foothold
   in Libya is bad for everybody," said the official in a Friday briefing.

   ''

   Effort underway to help stabilize Nagorno-Karabakh

   Another focal point for Kerry Monday is a multi-national effort to help
   stabilize Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within
   Azerbaijan that was the scene of intense fighting in April.

   The two countries accused each other of violating a cease-fire. The
   flare-up was partly fueled by a worsening economic situation in
   Azerbaijan because of the fall of oil prices.

   The U.S., Russia and France serve as co-chairs of the OSCE
   (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Minsk Group,
   which has been working to find a peaceful solution to the
   Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

   Additionally, separate talks will be held with the presidents of
   Armenia and Azerbaijan.

   Ongoing concerns about Syria's stability

   The talks in Vienna follow Kerry's visit to Saudi Arabia where he
   sought that government's support in strengthening a cessation of
   hostilities agreement between Syrian government forces and rebels ahead
   of broader talks on Syria.

   Tuesday, the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) will
   convene in Vienna to discuss the stalled political talks, difficulties
   in maintaining the February cease-fire and the U.N.'s uneven results in
   delivering humanitarian aid.

   ''

   "Not all of the trend lines in Syria are going in the right direction,"
   said State Department spokesman John Kirby on Friday.

   U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has indicated he will await the
   results of the ISSG meeting before setting a date for the next round of
   proximity talks between the government and the opposition.

   Travels

   In addition to Vienna, Kerry will attend a NATO ministerial meeting in
   Brussels and then will travel to Burma in a show of U.S. support for
   the country's newly elected government.

   In the following week, Kerry will join President Barack Obama in
   Vietnam.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-italy-to-address-libya-internal-external-challenges/3331910.html