Italian FM demands Hezbollah disarmament
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini called for the disarmament of “all militias” in Lebanon, “starting with Hezbollah,” as prerequisite to the consolidation of national institutions.
Frattini informed the Italian Senate that he was cooperating with Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa to fortify the Italian unit working within the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Frattini renewed his support for the peacekeeping troops, who are deployed in southern Lebanon to maintain peace at the Lebanese-Israeli border, adding that the UNIFIL had “everyone’s appreciation.”
“Thanks to them, the area south of the Litani river was secured,” he stated.