GERMANY: Presidents of Germany and Italy, Horst Koehler and Giorgio Napolitano call for resumption of negotiations in the Middle East crisis

The presidents of Germany and Italy, Horst Koehler and Giorgio Napolitano, on Wednesday (July 19) called for the resumption of negotiations in the Middle East crisis. Speaking at a joint news conference in Berlin, Koehler told reporters Israel has a right to defend itself but he was very concerned about the high number of civilian victims and the destruction of infrastructure. "Everything must be done in order to create conditions so that a ceasefire can take place and negotiations can resume," Koehler said. His Italian counterpart Napolitano agreed that violence must stop immediately. "We are ready to make a contribution to the United Nations mission in Lebanon announced by the U.N. Secretary General," he said. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a statement Israel's military campaign against Hizbollah guerrillas would continue "as long as necessary" to free two captured soldiers and ensure Hizbollah is not a threat.

ITN Source | July 20, 2006

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