Ex-premier Giuseppe Conte, the leader of the opposition 5-Star Movement (M5S), said Friday that he has no intention of taking part in a "runway show" at Premier Giorgia Meloni's office in Rome to discuss the Iran war.
Meloni called for national unity in the face of the Middle East crisis when she reported to parliament on the Iran war on Wednesday but subsequently complained that her invitation to have dialogue with the opposition parties was met with insults and accusations.
Elly Schlein, the leader of the opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD), said she was willing to engage in dialogue with the government over how to handle the crisis in the Middle East but first Meloni needed to adopt a less aggressive approach.
After that exchange, Meloni called the leaders of Italy's opposition parties on Thursday to update them about the situation.
Conte said Friday that meeting Meloni at her office at Palazzo Chigi would be a waste of time.
