Beirut, Lebanon - October 18, 2024

Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed that "there is no priority above the ceasefire, targeting civilians, and destroying towns and villages." He stressed Lebanon's commitment to fully implement all international resolutions related to it, especially Resolution 1701, renewing Lebanon's commitment "to strengthening the army's presence in the south to carry out its full tasks in cooperation with the "UNIFIL" forces." In turn, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed that targeting UNIFIL forces is unacceptable and their safety must be guaranteed. She pointed out that we are working to reach a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, and we are calling for a 21-day truce.

She said: "We have agreed on the full and immediate implementation of Resolution 1701, which also means that in the area south of the Litani River there should be no military presence other than UNIFIL and the Lebanese army."
The positions of Prime Minister Mikati and the Italian Prime Minister came in a joint press conference they held at the Grand Serail this afternoon.
The Italian Prime Minister arrived in Beirut this afternoon at the head of a delegation and was received by Prime Minister Najib Mikati in the VIP lounge at Rafic Hariri International Airport.
Upon her arrival at the Grand Serail, an official reception ceremony was held for her, and she was received by Prime Minister Najib Mikati. They moved together to the Prime Minister's office, where they held a lengthy bilateral meeting.

Press conference:

At the end of the meeting, Presidents Mikati and Meloni held a joint press conference. President Mikati said: I was pleased to receive the Prime Minister of Italy, Ms. Giorgia Meloni, who wanted to visit Lebanon in these difficult circumstances we are going through to express her solidarity with Lebanon and its people and as a message of Italian support for the role and tasks of the international peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon.

At the beginning, we talked about the close and historical bilateral relations between Lebanon and Italy, in addition to issues of common interest in the Middle East region.

Then we discussed the ongoing war in the south and reaffirmed that the diplomatic solution must come before war, violence and destruction, and is represented first by Israel's full commitment to a ceasefire, adherence to international legitimacy, and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and stopping violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

In return, I confirmed to Ms. Meloni that there is no priority above a ceasefire, targeting civilians and destroying towns and villages. She stressed Lebanon's commitment to fully implement all international resolutions related to it, especially Resolution 1701, and expressed our readiness to strengthen the army's presence in the south to carry out its tasks in full cooperation with the "UNIFIL" forces.

I also assured Mrs. Meloni of Lebanon's gratitude and appreciation for Italy's significant and permanent contribution to the "UNIFIL" forces, which expresses Italy's commitment to Lebanon's safety, stability and the preservation of its territorial integrity.

Lebanon, which adheres to international legitimacy, rejects Israel's threat to leave UNIFIL and the attacks it is subjected to, which constitute a blatant coup against international legitimacy, which requires everyone to stand together against this blatant encroachment on the role of UNIFIL and its great mission in standing by Lebanon and the Lebanese.

I also thanked the Prime Minister for her country's continued support for the army and strengthening its capabilities to enable it to carry out all the tasks assigned to it.

We also stressed the need to expedite the election of a new president of the republic, which is essential to launching the required economic reform workshop and launching the wheel of economic recovery with the support of Lebanon's friends in the world.
Lebanon has paid and is paying a heavy price for external conflicts, and what is happening now should be a lesson to all Lebanese parties that keeping Lebanon away from external conflicts is what is required and that the sovereignty of the Lebanese state over its territory is the solution to all existing problems.
Mrs. Meloni, welcome to Lebanon and thank you for standing by our country and our people, with the hope that Italy will play an effective role in stopping the aggression against Lebanon and the Lebanese.

Meloni
The Italian Prime Minister said: Thank you to Prime Minister Najib Mikati, my friend, for this warm welcome and this useful exchange of views. I would like to say that I am proud to be the first female Prime Minister to visit Lebanon since the beginning of tensions and military escalation, and that I am the only one who has visited Lebanon twice since October 7 of last year. My presence here today is first to express solidarity and closeness to civilians from all sides who are suffering from the consequences of this crisis and this conflict, and that Italy, like all international partners, has been calling for a 21-day ceasefire for weeks and months, and Prime Minister Mikati, as well as the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, have agreed to this proposal, and this is very important for us. I have just arrived from Brussels, where I participated in the European Council, and certainly the crisis in the Middle East was at the heart of our discussions, and I assure you that we are working for a permanent and continuous ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, and we are also continuing to negotiate the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and we are also looking for the best ways to help the displaced. Italy is also at the forefront of those who are taking the initiative to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where we have provided more than 47 tons of food aid, and in Lebanon as well, immediately after the military escalation began, we agreed to provide humanitarian aid of 70 million euros, to support, in particular, the displaced from their homes and villages and to support the communities that host them. I am also here in Lebanon to thank all the soldiers deployed with UNIFIL and also with the Italian mission. These soldiers have contributed for years to the stability of the border between Lebanon and Israel, and their presence will certainly be needed in any scenario to help end the conflict. Therefore, I reiterate that I consider targeting UNIFIL to be extremely unacceptable and I call again for all parties to work to ensure the safety and security of these soldiers. Therefore, I am also convinced that UNIFIL must be strengthened by preserving their lives, so that we can turn the page. I believe that we must return to the core mission of UNIFIL and do so appropriately in cooperation with the Lebanese army. I am also convinced that the Lebanese army must be provided with the best conditions to be able to assume its responsibilities. The goal is to strengthen the capacity of the Lebanese security forces by strengthening training and training programs in cooperation with the Lebanese authorities. She added: I discussed all these matters with Prime Minister Mikati and we agreed on the full and immediate implementation of Resolution 1701, which also means that in the area south of the Litani River there should be no military presence other than UNIFIL and the Lebanese army. We also have a bilateral mission as part of the Lebanon Support Group in particular to strengthen the training of the Lebanese army and we will try to do more in this area. It is no coincidence that at the G7 Summit we called for thinking about the best way to resolve this complex situation we are living in. I also believe that Lebanese institutions must be supported and strengthened. I am not one of those leaders who like to tell others what to do, but Lebanon is suffering and having functioning institutions is essential for Lebanon to be able to defend its interests. I believe that all leaders share this opinion and I can assure you that Italy is ready to provide all possible assistance if you need it and if we are asked to do so. I also discussed the issue of refugees with Prime Minister Mikati and we talked about the refugee crisis that Lebanon has been suffering from for many years. There are more than a million refugees in Lebanon in addition to a million and a half Syrian refugees. Regarding the displaced, Italy is committed to raising the issue at the international and European level. Italy has been committed to this issue for a long time and we are working with our European partners to create the necessary conditions to allow the voluntary, safe, sustainable and dignified return of the displaced to Syria. We support all the efforts of the United Nations refugee agencies, and at the same time we call for strengthening the Italian diplomatic presence in Damascus. In conclusion, Mr. Prime Minister, you can always count on Italy and we hope for the return of prosperity and peace to this friendly country.