MED Dialogues conference kicks off with a focus on Middle East conflict

The MED Dialogues, the annual conference on the Mediterranean held by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ISPI (Italian Institute for International Political Studies), started Monday in Rome with the opening remarks of some of the leading figures of the region.

Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdallah Bou Habib, focused his speech on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, strongly condemning “any attack on UNIFIL” and calling “on all sides to respect the safety, the security of the troops and their premises.”

He then reiterated Lebanon's commitment to peace and security, saying the Lebanese government realized that “two necessity conditions are required, an immediate cease-fire and deployment of additional Lebanese troops south of the Litani River.”

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdelatty, also spoke of the “bold measures and decisive actions” that are urgently needed in the Middle East, referring to “the current aggressions by Israel and Gaza” and “the unacceptable and condemned continuous Israeli aggression and daily violations of the Lebanese sovereignty.”

“Military supremacy will not bring peace and stability to Israel and to our neighborhood,” he said.