Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will host a call of Group of Seven (G7) leaders later on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) to discuss the crisis in the Middle East, her office said.
"Italy will continue to strive for a diplomatic solution, including in its capacity as chair of the G7. I have convened a leaders' level meeting for this afternoon," Ms. Meloni was quoted as telling her cabinet.
Follow Israel-Iran war LIVE updates on October 2
Italy holds the rotating presidency of the G7 — the club of major Western democracies, which comprises the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
Ms. Meloni told her ministers that there was "deep concern" about latest developments, including Iran's missile attack against Israel and the instability in Lebanon, her office said.
"The goal is the stabilization of the Israeli-Lebanese border through the full implementation of Resolution 1701," she was quoted as saying, referring to the U.N. resolution which halted the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in south Lebanon.
Also Read | How Israel took the war to the ‘axis of resistance’, triggering Iran’s response
"In this framework, Italy has called on the U.N. Security Council to consider strengthening the mandate of the UNIFIL mission in order to ensure the security of the Israel-Lebanon border," she said.
Italy is a major contributor to the United Nations' peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Italian media reported on Wednesday that the government was considering pulling its forces out of the area given the recent border violence.
Published - October 02, 2024 04:52 pm IST
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
