Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister
Antonio Tajani on Friday said he believes there is still room to
prevent an escalation in the Middle East.
"I believe there is still an open crack to prevent an escalation
in the region, it is necessary to convince Israel, Lebanon as
well as Iran to lower tension", Tajani told Radio 24 after
meeting on Thursday night with US, French and British
counterparts in Paris to discuss developments in the Middle
East.
"All sides must prevent an escalation", he added.
Tajani noted that the statements made by Hezbollah leader Hassan
Nasrallah "are harsh against Israel but don't announce an
immediate reaction, which means there is still time to find a
solution to reduce tension", stressing that the "final objective
is the ceasefire in the West Bank and Gaza".
Nasrallah pledged that "retribution will come" to Israel after
attacks on Hezbollah's pagers and walkie-talkies.
The foreign minister went on to say there are no immediate
threats for Italian soldiers in Lebanon.
"We have been advising for weeks against any trip to Lebanon"
Tajani went on to say, adding that, if needed, the return of
Italian citizens who are not permanent residents in Lebanon
would be organized, stressing that Italian military personnel in
the country are "not deployed in war operations.
"For the moment, there are no great risks for our military" at
the border between Israel and Lebanon and in Beirut.
Italy has over 1,000 members of the military deployed with
UNIFIL while approximately 200 others are in Beirut as part of
the Italian Bilateral Military Mission in Lebanon (MIBIL).
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
