If UN mission works in Lebanon, possible try in Gaza: Italian FM

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said that if the planned UN multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon works well, it might be possible to begin a similar positive process in the Gaza Strip, Israeli newspaper Ha' aretz reported on Friday.

D'Alema's comment was made during an interview with the newspaper. "The idea of sending UN troops to the Gaza Strip is currently being aired," he said.

"But I think that if things go well in Lebanon, a similar positive process could also begin in the Gaza Strip - the release of (kidnapped soldier Gilad) Shalit, a Palestinian unity government that meets the criteria set by the international community, and the presence of a UN force to bolster the Palestinian government," D'Alema was quoted by Ha'aretz as saying.

Referring to the situation in Lebanon, D'Alema said that the UN peacekeeping force could not disarm Hezbollah because this essentially depends on the Lebanese government.

"If the government of Lebanon wants to, it is certainly possible, and we must encourage the government of Lebanon," the foreign minister added.

"We cannot act against the will of the Lebanese government. Hezbollah's disarmament is not only Israel's demand, but it is also Lebanon's, because a democratic country cannot be sovereign if it does not have a monopoly over the army," D'Alema continued.

D'Alema said that the American's aggressive approach to the Middle East, which Israel shares, has failed and has caused serious damage.

Now, he said, Italy and other European countries must prove to Israelis that only international intervention can bring them security.

D'Alema is considered the driving force behind Italy's decision to contribute 3,000 soldiers to a beefed-up UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), thereby making Italy the largest western contributor to the force.

D'Alema, however, said that it is still unclear whether Italy will head the bolstered UNIFIL, but it is already clear that his country will be a leading contributor with its 3,000 soldiers.

The UN Security Council resolution demands a cessation of all hostilities and authorizes an increase of the existing UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon to 15,000 troops to help Lebanese troops take control of southern Lebanon while Israel withdraws.

A ceasefire went into effect on Aug. 14 in line with the resolution, ending the 34-day-long Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Source: Xinhua