Italy aims to mediate land border accord between 'Israel' and Lebanon
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Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says that Rome is using an agreement signed by both Lebanon and "Israel" in 2022 as a blueprint for negotiations on land borders.
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Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaking at a news conference on May 4, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview for Bloomberg at the NATO summit in Washington that Italy is actively pursuing a land border agreement between Lebanon and "Israel" to reduce tensions.
Tajani explained that Rome is leveraging a maritime agreement signed by the two sides in 2022 as a model for this land deal.
“The situation is very tense, and we have been — and are working — to ensure that the maritime borders agreement can come to be for the land borders too,” he stressed.
It is worth noting that the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has constantly confirmed that Lebanon's borders are demarcated and internationally recognized based on the 1923 Paulet–Newcombe Agreement, and the official maps belonging to it are deposited with the United Nations.
Lebanon has also constantly reaffirmed its full commitment to Resolution 1701 in all its provisions and its right to liberate its occupied lands, including the Shebaa Farms, the Kfar Chouba Hills, and the outskirts of the town of Al-Mari.
'Peace needs to be reached'
Despite acknowledging that the situation is "difficult", he stated that Italian diplomats were continuing to forge ahead with negotiations.
He stated that the objective was to find a resolution “that could create distance between Israel and Hezbollah.”
The Italian Foreign Minister emphasized that "Israel" would respond decisively to any advancement by Hezbollah.
Furthermore, Tajani reaffirmed Rome’s backing for "Israel’s right to exist” but also said, “We’re also asking Israel to realize that peace needs to be reached at some point.”
He restated his backing for a "two-state solution", emphasizing that it must be mutually agreed upon to ensure that the recognition of a State of Palestine goes beyond mere formalities.
“It’s the only path we have available if we don’t want to keep going for another 50 years” with these hostilities, he stressed.
Dive deeper
Hezbollah launched military operations in support of Palestine on October 8 amid the ongoing Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza which has so far killed over 38,000 Palestinians.
On different occasions, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, stressed that "the front in South Lebanon is [meant to produce] pressure, support, and participate in defeating the enemy and weaken it until the aggression [on Gaza] stops."
It is worth noting that Sayyed Nasrallah reiterated, on Wednesday, that if an agreement is reached on a ceasefire in Gaza, the northern front will also witness a ceasefire without discussion.
Read more: Lebanese front meeting goals against 'Israel', Sayyed Nasrallah says
