The Group of Seven has given a clear
message calling for all parties to contribute to a de-escalation
in the Middle East, Italian Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister
Antonio Tajani said Friday at the end of a meeting of G7 foreign
ministers on Capri.
"This morning we decided to tackle the Iran issue immediately,"
Tajani, who chaired the meeting as Italy holds the G7 duty
presidency, told a news conference after overnight attacks on
Iran attributed to Israel.
"I wanted there to be a clear message from the G7.
"The political objective is called de-escalation.
"We call on all parties to make a positive contribution.
"We condemned the recent attack by Iran and the G7 supports the
security of Israel, but we call on all parties to work to avoid
escalation and the G7 will work for this result".
The G7 is ready to impose new sanctions on Iran after its attack
on Israel last weekend, the final communiqué of the G7 foreign
ministers' meeting said.
"We demand that Iran and its affiliated groups cease their
attacks," it said.
"We will hold the Iranian government accountable for its
malicious and destabilizing actions and we stand ready to adopt
further sanctions or take other measures, now and in response to
further destabilizing initiatives.
"Iran's actions mark an unacceptable step towards the
destabilization of the region and a further escalation, which
must be avoided.
"In light of reports of strikes on April 19th, we urge all
parties to work to prevent further escalation. "The G7 will
continue to work to this end.
"We call on all parties, both in the region and beyond, to offer
their positive contribution to this collective effort.
"We call on Iran to refrain from providing support to Hamas and
taking further actions that destabilize the Middle East,
including support for Lebanese Hezbollah and other non-state
actors".
The G7 also said that it was opposed to Israel staging an attack
on Rafah, in the south of Gaza, where around one million
Palestinians have taken refuge since the start of the conflict
sparked by Hamas's horrific October 7 attacks.
"We reiterate our opposition to a full scale military operation
in Rafah that would have catastrophic consequences on the
civilian population," it said.
"We reiterate our call for a credible and actionable plan to
protect the civilian population there and address their
humanitarian needs.
"We are deeply concerned by the internal displacement within
Gaza and the risk of forcible displacement from Gaza. Israel
must act in compliance with its obligations under international
law and treat individuals humanely and with dignity, and should
thoroughly and transparently investigate credible allegations of
wrongdoing and ensure accountability for any abuses or
violations".
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised the role
Italy is playing in efforts to stop the conflict in the Middle
East spiraling out of control.
"Italy is playing a crucial role for de-escalation in the Middle
East," Blinken told a press conference.
"It is a leading country that is engaged with many other
countries in the world that have direct relations with the
Middle East.
"And it also has direct relations of its own.
"And we have seen how important this engagement has been over
the last 10 days, two weeks, to keep things calm and avoid
escalation and a wider conflict"
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