Italian Deputy Premier and Foreign
Minister Antonio Tajani called for a ceasefire in Gaza in an
interview to Milan daily Corriere della Sera published on
Monday.
"Our line is very clear", Tajani told the newspaper.
"We ask Israel - which has right to defend itself, as we have
always said - to stop attacks that lead to a very high number of
civilian victims, which is in contrast with international law.
"There is a path in place, there are mediations, we are against
any act that further raises tension and involves innocents.
"It's time for a ceasefire, as (US President Joe) Biden has just
said, it's not too late", the foreign minister told the
newspaper in the interview which focused on the war in Gaza.
To reach a ceasefire, "along with diplomacy, and the plan Food
for Gaza", an initiative Italy has spearheaded to get food aid
to Palestinian civilians with UN agencies FAO and WFP, with the
objective of a two-State solution, "we are ready to offer our
forces, starting with the Carabinieri" police for which "we have
already received requests of availability, for a mission to
control the construction of a Palestinian State, led by Arab
countries".
Tajani also spoke about the war in Ukraine, in particular about
attacks in Russian territory: "We support Ukraine without ifs
and buts, we can understand their will to defend themselves also
by counterattacking, but we are not at war with Russia.
"The weapons we provided can't be used to attack Russia on its
territory", noted Tajani, adding that he will officially discuss
the issue with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at an EU
Foreign Affairs Council scheduled to take place later this
month.
"We surely will not send our soldiers to fight and we urge all
to (exercise) maximum caution", concluded Tajani.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
