Major powers try to end internal conflicts in Libya: German FM

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Monday that major powers would try to find ways to end internal conflicts and create stability in Libya as they gather here for a ministerial meeting.

Leading foreign ministers from Europe and the Middle East meet in the Austrian capital on Monday under the joint chairmanship of the United States and Italy to discuss how to bolster support for Libya's unity government in the face of deepening splits in the country over political legitimacy and growing threats by the Islamic State (IS).

The Libya's unity government, said Steinmeier ahead of the meeting, has started its work towards stabilizing the country. It, however, is still facing challenges in the facing of instability and terrorism.

The key question of Monday's talks, the minister added, is to seek ways out of the internal conflicts in Libya and to create "more stability and statehood" in the country.

Since March, a national unity government has been gradually exerting its influence in Libya following years of unrest in the country. However, the government - led by Fayez Sarraj and backed by much of the international community - faces political opposition from within Libya and the threat of the IS establishing a bigger foothold.

Monday's conference is expected to "discuss international support for the new Government of National Accord, with a focus on security," said earlier John Kirby, spokesman for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who chairs the ministerial meeting with his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni.

In addition, the flow of migrants from Libya across the Mediterranean to Europe is also a topic for discussions in Vienna. Endit