Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday urged military strongman Khalifa Haftar to stop his offensive in Libya, as EU leaders upped diplomatic efforts to contain the crisis. Conte warned of "the risks to the stability of the entire region" and "called for the military option to be abandoned", the government said in a statement following the meeting with Haftar in Rome. He insisted the only sustainable solution was a political one, echoing the sentiment in Brussels, where EU chiefs met with Haftar's rival, the head of the UN-recognised government Fayez al-Sarraj. Libya has been plunged into chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that killed longstanding dictator Moamer Kadhafi, and is now divided between the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and Haftar's authorities. Haftar's forces -- who have support from the UAE, Egypt and Russia -- have seized control of the coastal city of Sirte as part of his drive to take Tripoli and oust the GNA. EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell cautioned Wednesday that Libya was facing a "watershed point", while German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the country could deteriorate into a "second Syria". The EU pledged to step up efforts towards a peaceful and political solution, hoping the so-called Berlin process -- UN-sponsored talks planned for the German capital -- can offer a way out. bur-ide/har