5667th MEETING OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL “THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION” STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR ALDO MANTOVANI, CHARGE` D’AFFAIRES A.I. OF ITALY TO THE UNITED NATIONS (NEW YORK, APRIL 25, 2007)

First I wish to welcome you Minister Howells, for being with us today and thank USG Pascoe for his briefing.

The recent weeks have recorded promising developments in the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. Following the establishment of the National Unity government and direct contacts between the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, the Arab League has offered the peace process a perspective that should not be neglected.

The proposal that emerged from the Riyadh Summit to revive the 2002 Beirut Plan represents a interesting basis for negotiations that might bring the political process closer to defining the parameters required for the transition to the final phase of the Roadmap.

We are pleased by the positive attitude taken by the Israeli government towards the Arab League’s decision to request Egypt and Jordan to study the modalities to define the application terms of the proposal re-launched by the Riyadh Summit.

Italy has long supported the need to increase the number of countries that support the peace process, and we consider the involvement of Arab countries useful to enhance the prospects of a regional solution to the conflict.

We are confident that the contacts to this end among Israel, Egypt and Jordan will help to gradually bring positions closer one another. We hope that the parties will show the flexibility and the good will needed to start an effective dialogue.

Italy confirms its support to the Roadmap principles and at the same time reiterates the need that their implementation take into account the need to quickly progress toward a just and conclusive solution. In this framework, we continue to fully support the role of the Quartet, and of the European Union within it to foster the success of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

We are very concerned by the statements released by some Palestinian factions that mean to put an end to the truce in Gaza, which has substantially held so far. These statements, should they be followed by acts, risk to ignite again a dangerous spiral of violence which could endanger the slow progress that have been achieved until now.

It will therefore be essential that the Palestinian government strongly commit to ending any violent attack as well as the launch of Qassam rockets, weapons smuggling in Gaza, and the detention of Corporal Shalit.

At the same time, we believe that Israel should take concrete action to loosen restrictions on the freedom of movement of the Palestinian people, particularly in the West Bank, so that the access of people and goods to the Gaza Strip is no longer blocked, particularly at the Rafah crossing point. Israel should also rapidly resume the transfer of customs revenues to the Palestinian Government. In this framework, we hope that the necessary conditions can be assured for the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM/Rafah) to resume in full its operations.

It is equally important that both parties strive to avoid actions or taking positions that might be ill-interpreted by the public opinion and generate tensions likely to hinder or to halt the dialogue.

In this framework, it is vital that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority work to avoid any action that might jeopardize the fragile dialogue that has been established.

While we believe the meetings between President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert hold promises, it should be avoided giving the Palestinian public the impression that it is mere media hype without any tangible impact on improving their living conditions in the Territories.

This is another reason why we believe that Israel should seize the opportunity to revive, with conviction, the dialogue with President Abbas, whose responsibility over peace negotiations is clearly recognized in the program of the new Palestinian government, although within the limit that any agreement would have to be ratified by the Palestinian National Council or by referendum.

In this context, it is crucial to foster the economic reconstruction of the Palestinian Territories and to ease the rehabilitation of the Palestinian society fabric, a task in which the European Union has distinguished itself, in recent months, through its assistance to the Palestinian people.

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We are concerned by the sensitivity of the political situation in Lebanon, which continues to be highly complex and closely tied to the solution of the two main interrelated questions: the establishment of the International Tribunal on the Hariri assassination, and the National Unity Government.

We are convinced that the political impasse that grips the country can only be broken through a courageous assumption of political responsibility by all the Lebanese parties.

We therefore once again urge the Government and the opposition to resolutely resume the dialogue to address and resolve the political problems of the country at their roots.

We are convinced of the need to establish the International Tribunal. Nevertheless, at this sensitive juncture in the Lebanese political process, we need to be aware of the repercussions that a more incisive action by the international community might have on the domestic framework.

What must reemerge in Lebanon, first and foremost, is the will to revive the “national dialogue” so as to address the root causes of the country’s political problems which have brought about the present institutional impasse.

Italy thus believes that the resumption of dialogue between the majority and the opposition must be encouraged and consolidated as the prerequisite for an agreement that will bring Lebanon out of this difficult political crisis.

The international community is deeply engaged in the stabilization of the country and the presence of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon is a guarantee of this commitment by the international community. We are concerned, however, that a solution still seem to be far off on some key issues regarding the normalization of bilateral relations between Lebanon and Israel, especially the release of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers, the Sheba’a farms, and Israeli overflights in Lebanon.

On various occasions UNIFIL has proven its ability to intervene promptly and effectively to defuse tensions on the Israeli-Lebanese border that risked spiraling into a dangerous situation. We believe that the UNIFIL-LAF-IDF tripartite mechanism is particularly useful for resolving possibile controversies and we urge the parties to continue to make regular use of this mechanism.

We encourage the parties to proceed expeditiously, in accordance with UNIFIL, to a more accurate demarcation of the Blue Line, also to prevent the recurrence of incidents along the Line.

In this regard, we believe that it is essential to clearly define the question of the Sheba’a farms, which continue to represent a dangerous source of tensions along the border between the two countries. We appreciate the work being carried out in recent months by the UN cartographers and hope that a proposal may soon be drafted providing the basis for political consultations.

We are concerned by reports that weapons would continue to be smuggled into Lebanon, especially outside UNIFIL’s area of operations, despite the ban provided for by resolution 1701. We are confident in the commitment of the Lebanese Armed Forces to prevent arms smuggling, but it is fundamental that all the neighboring countries commit themselves to prevent an increase in the destructive potential in the hands of the opposing Lebanese factions.

We believe it important that the United Nations engage itself on this question. With this view we extended support to the Secretary-General’s proposal to send an independent mission to assess the monitoring of the border of the country with regard to weapons trafficking and to make recommendations – a proposal that the Security Council endorsed in the PRST adopted on April 17.

We deem it important that Syria genuinely engages itself in this respect. Damascus can play a positive role in the stability and development of the region, but only if it confirmed in deeds its will to act in good faith and in the interests of peace. In this regard, we look forward to knowing the outcome of the recent visit of the Secretary-General to Damascus.

The full implementation of resolution 1701 primarily is the responsibility of the Lebanese government. We are aware, however, of the difficulties encountered by its Armed Forces due to the lack of equipment and adequate training to carry out some of the fundamental tasks provided for by the resolution, particularly with regard to the prevention of arms smuggling. It is essential that a reflection be started soon on how to help the Lebanese Armed Forces achieving adequate standards in terms of training, equipment, and resources.

Thank you, Sir