New York: Europe and the Arabs
On the eve of an international meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss developments in the Middle East, the annual consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers was held on Tuesday on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York, chaired by Yemen. The meeting addressed the brutal war waged by Israel against the Gaza Strip as well as the attacks against Lebanon. In this context, the meeting stressed solidarity with Lebanon, government and people, against the Israeli escalation, especially since September 22, which led to the death of 357 martyrs and 1,250 wounded in one day. The attendees expressed full support for Lebanon in confronting this escalation, holding the occupation responsible for the resulting dangerous repercussions that may lead to a comprehensive regional war and threaten security and stability in the entire region. The ministers stressed the need to coordinate with the countries of the Islamic group in the coming days in order to send a message to the international community about the need to stop the brutal Israeli war immediately.
For his part, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani expressed his country's concern about "the escalation of the cycle of violence in the Middle East," according to the Italian Nova Agency. Tajani's statements came after chairing the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in New York on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, where Tajani said: "I reiterate the Italian government's concern about the escalating spiral of violence in the Middle East. We are constantly working, together with our partners, to find a diplomatic way out that allows us to ease tensions in the region."
The Italian Foreign Minister renewed his country's call for "a ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip."
In previous statements, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric indicated that next Wednesday (September 25), there will be a high-level ministerial event on the escalating crisis in Sudan and the region.
He explained that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are hosting this event, along with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United States, the European Union and the African Union.