“There is no hidden agenda” behind Italy’s commitment in the Syrian crisis other than “the motivation to safeguard the population and find a political solution that respects human dignity and leads to deep changes in the country”.
These were Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi’s words at a hearing in Parliament before leaving for Washington, where Prime Minister Mario Monti will be having talks with the US President, Barack Obama. The Syrian crisis is one of the issues on the agenda: Minister Terzi too will be discussing it, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The Italian Embassy in Damascus “remains fully operational to monitor developments in the situation in Syria, in constant liaison with the Ministry’s Crisis Unit. It is also in constant touch with those Italians still on Syrian territory and is liaising with the other EU Embassies to provide any assistance that may be required”.
Italy’s diplomatic initiatives to help find a solution to the Syrian crisis continue apace, therefore, under conditions that takes into account, in order of priority, the regional dimension and the role of the Arab League. Conditions that meet with full agreement from our European partners and the countries of the region, as shown by Minister Giulio Terzi’s numerous conversations with them.
During his round of phone calls with the Arab League General Secretary, Nabil El Araby, and with his German and French colleagues Guido Westerwelle and Alain Juppe’, Minister Terzi agreed with the initiative, to be pursued by involving regional actors, of supporting the Syrian opposition. He agreed too on the need to step up the pressure on the regime in Damascus and to set out the international community’s initiatives along four lines of intervention.
In addition to supporting the Syrian opposition, the consensus was that the Arab League’s leading role deserves increasing support from Europe and should be maintained. Minister Terzi’s interlocutors also agreed that the European Union should step up its sanctions against Syria.
Lastly, there was consensus on the need to pursue further nitiatives at the United Nations in New York. Minister Terzi agreed with Secretary General El Araby, and with the French and German Foreign Ministers at the Quai d’Orsay and the Auswaertiges Amt, to keep in touch on developments in the Syrian crisis. They fully agreed too on the need for close and constant liaison by all the countries interested in reaching a positive solution to the Syrian crisis.
