Shalom: Rome in Iran missile range
Foreign minister meets with Italian counterpart, says Italy sees Iranian nuke question eye to eye with Israel. Italian minister says he plans to demonstrate opposite Iranian embassy
He added that should Iran acquire nuclear weapons, it would severely threaten not only Israel but the entire international community.
Fini spoke at a press conference following his meeting with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. He added that the Security Council must deal with the Iranian matter as soon as possible.
During his meeting with Shalom, the Italian minister said Italy sees the Iranian nuclear threat eye to eye with Israel. Shalom said that Rome was also in the range of missiles developed by Iran.
Fini announced in the meeting that he intends to participate Thursday in a mass protest demonstration opposite the Iranian embassy in Rome, initiated by Italian newspaper Il Foglio.
When asked about the possibility of military action against Iran, Shalom said Israel would do all that it can in order to stop Iran's nuclear program, but only diplomatically. He added that Israel is part of the international community and that the world today is more firm than ever in stopping extremists.
'Hezbollah must be dismantled'
The two foreign ministers discussed a series of issues, including the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon.
Fini said that the Lebanese question is also very important for Israel's security. He said he had no doubt that Hizbullah is a terror organization and that it is clear that in order to guarantee peace and democracy in Lebanon, the group and the other armed factions would have to be dismantled.
Fini added that Hizbullah constituted more than a verbal threat for Israel.
As for the Palestinians, the two ministers widely referred to the issue of the Rafah crossings and Israel's decision to allow the European Union to supervise it as a third party. Israel, on its part, is interested in the EU filling an enforcement role and not just a supervision role, but the parties still have to finalize the exact wording.
Fini said that the EU is very interested in being part of the process. He added that should Europe realize it cannot meet the task, after all parties expressed their interest in the EU playing a role at the crossing, it would constitute a defeat for the EU.
This would be a golden opportunity for the EU to become a foreign policy player, Fini said.
Shalom also asked his Italian counterpart to stop the financing of Palestinian municipalities governed by Hamas members, and received a positive reply.
