(VOVworld)- An international conference on Libya was held in Rome, Italy this week. The conference was initiated by Italy in the hopes of bringing peace and stability to Libya, which has been wracked by a civil war for the last four years.

Italy's Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni (C), U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and UN special envoy for Libya Martin Kobler at a joint news conference following an international conference on Libya at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome December 13, 2015. REUTERS/Mandel Ngan/Pool

The Rome Conference took place before December 16 when the UN Envoy for Libya Martin Kobler and two representatives of the Libyan Parliament are expected to sign an agreement to establish a unity government in Libya. The Rome conference was attended by Foreign Ministers of 5 UN Security Council members, several African,  Western, and the Middle Eastern countries and representatives of the two current governments in Libya.  On December 12, parties in Libya agreed to sign on December 16 an agreement to establish a unity government. The Rome Conference was evidence of the Libyan parties’ commitment to the UN plan. US Secretary of State John Kerry said that a unity government will be set up in Libya within the next 40 days and said those who go against this process will be made to pay.

Setting up a unity government in Libya is urgent, because IS is attempting to expand its operations there. Libya has stumbled from crisis to crisis in the years since Muammar Gaddafi, was overthrown in 2011. Since August 2014 there have been two governments in Libya, only one of them is internationally recognized. Under international pressure, parties in Libya have carried out several negotiations backed by the UN to agree on a unity government.

With its strategic location on the Mediterranean Sea making it a transit point in North Africa, Libya could become a base for IS to attack Europe. In addition to strengthening its force in Sirte, IS is recruiting more supporters. The number of IS-recruited gunmen in Sirte has grown to thousands. According to a recent UN report, there are between 2,000 and 3,000 IS gunmen in Libya, of whom 1,500 are in Sirte. This will pose a great challenge for Libya unless its political parties can be united.