MADRID 18 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, declared this Friday that the recent Israeli attacks against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are “unacceptable” and has advocated strengthening the mission’s mandate to give its troops more tools to defend yourself.
“I am convinced that UNIFIL must be strengthened,” Meloni added during her visit to the Italian contingent of the mission, which makes up approximately a thousand soldiers. The prime minister has called on the international community to remember the fundamental principles of the mission, those of preserving the UN Security Council resolution on the matter.
UNIFIL has been denouncing several Israeli attacks against its positions since last week. The Israeli military has repeatedly called on peacekeepers to disengage from their observation posts in southern Lebanon to facilitate their operations against Hezbollah militias; a request that UNIFIL has rejected from the beginning.
Only by strengthening the mission, Meloni said, will it be possible to turn the page, guarantee the impartiality of UNIFIL itself and achieve important results. Furthermore, Meloni has asked the Lebanese authorities for a consensus exercise to solve the long economic crisis that is ravaging the country.
“In this complex context, I think it is essential to also support Lebanese institutions. I am not the type of leader who wants to tell others what they should do, how they should behave, but this country is certainly suffering and functional institutions are the key. key to being able to defend one’s own interests,” he highlighted.
Meloni, finally, insisted on the call made by international leaders to declare a 21-day ceasefire for Lebanon with a view to lasting peace in the country and the Gaza Strip.
Likewise, “we support negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and efforts to best support assistance to civilians who were involved in this war.”
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