(Adnkronos) – Italy’s government has backed United States president Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for war-shattered Gaza “from the outset” and views the blueprint as vital to national security, to the fight against terrorism and illegal immigration, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday.
“We have supported the peace plan from the outset,” Tajani told MPs on Tuesday after formally announcing that Italy would be an observer at Thursday’s augural meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza.
“I want to be very clear: if anyone believes that there are concrete and viable alternatives to this plan today, they are showing that they can’t face reality,” Tajani went on.
“Gaza is crucial to our national security, including combating terrorism and illegal immigration,” he said.
“But above all, it (Gaza) is an open wound that has shaken our consciences and which has seen Italy at the forefront of efforts to save lives, alleviate the suffering of civilians and silence the guns,” he said.
Italy’s participation in the Board of Peace for Gaza, “is certainly a balanced solution that respects our constitutional constraints,” Tajani argued.
Absence from the panel, which will focus on peace, security and stability in the Mediterranean region, would be political folly and “contrary to the letter and spirit” of Article 11 of the Italian Constitution, he argued.
Article 11 of Italy’s Constitution “sanctions the repudiation of war as a means of resolving disputes,” Tajani stated.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom are among countries that have so far declined to join Trump’s Board of Peace, whose European members include Russia, Belarus, Hungary and Bulgaria.
Rome sees participation in the board as an observer as a way to influence Gaza’s future governance and reconstruction after its rule by Islamist group Hamas, according to analysts.
Government officials reject accusations of excessive alignment with the US by Italy, pointing to the presence of the European Commission and other European actors on the panel.
Middle East powers including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel – as well as emerging nations such as Indonesia – have joined the board.
