In a meeting at the foreign ministry in Rome yesterday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Emma Bonino and Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni had an in-depth exchange of views on prospects for the Middle East peace process. Livni, who is charged by her government with overseeing the Palestinian peace talks, was accompanied by chief Israeli negotiator Yitzhak Molcho.
The head of Italian diplomacy expressed her firm hope that direct talks would resume, and that the atmosphere of mutual trust necessary in the pursuit of a two-State solution would be created.
Minister Bonino placed particular emphasis on the convinced support that Italy will continue to ensure, not least within European forums, to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s intense diplomatic efforts to revive the peace process. In that regard, the minister underscored that any solution would, in any case, have to include specific security guarantees for Israel and adequate measures for improving the economic situation and living conditions in the Territories.
