Former Israeli ambassador Meir to Rome dies

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, FEBRUARY 16 - Gideon Meir, who served as Israeli ambassador to Rome from 2006 to 2011, has died in Israel at age 74.
    The announcement was made Tuesday by foreign ministry, which bade farewell to him via a Facebook post.
    Meir, who had taken part in peace talks with Egypt in the late 1970s and was also deputy head of mission in London, left good memories of positive bilateral relations with Italy and the Jewish community there.
    Before retiring, Meir was also ministry advisor for inter-religious affairs.
    "I was saddened to learn of Gideon's premature death," Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said, adding that he was a "highly esteemed and experienced diplomat".
    Former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman also expressed his condolences, calling Meir a "true friend".
    The Israeli embassy in Italy, under Dror Eydar, said that he had been a "faithful representative of Israel in the world and especially in Italy", calling him a "model ambassador".
    "Profound pain" was expressed also by the Italian embassy in Israel under Gianluigi Benedetti.
    "A great friend of Italy," he wrote in a tweet, "who during his prestigious career contributed to promoting relations between Italy and Israel." The embassy then sent its condolences to Meir's wife Amira and his family.(ANSAmed). (ANSA).