Italy scrambled to salvage diplomatic credibility yesterday after its bid to play a central role in resolving Libya’s long-running conflict came off the rails, revealing failures at the heart of the government.

In an embarrassing snub for Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Fayez al-Serraj refused to meet him after discovering that Khalifa Haftar was also invited to Rome.

“What happened yesterday was frankly embarrassing,” said Arturo Varvelli, director of the Rome office of the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank. He added that “Our politicians don’t pay enough attention to foreign policy and they are paying the price for it.”

“Conte really is dangerous and incompetent,” said far-right League leader Matteo Salvini, accusing the prime minister of making a simple error of protocol by receiving Haftar before first meeting Serraj.

Varvelli said Italy was suffering the consequences of inconsistent policy-making and poor political preparation. “Our political leaders are making blunders on the international stage,” he said, adding that Rome should stop trying to lead the way on Libya, and instead seek European consensus.