PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, whose government is based in the west of the country, met the commander who rules most of the east, Khalifa Haftar, on Tuesday in Palermo, Sicily, an Italian government source said.

Italy is hosting an international conference on the future of Libya. Haftar has said he would not take part in the conference itself, but flew to the city for meetings on its sidelines. His meeting with Serraj was the first between the two main rival Libyan leaders since May.