The Israeli-Palestine conflict in the Lebanon continues to monopolise the attention of the press in this Continent. “Forza Italia” (in Italian), is the title of the comment published by Le Monde (30/8) and dedicated to the intense diplomatic work undertaken by Italy addressed at sending a European peace force to the Lebanon. Silvio Berlusconi’s “amateurism” on the subject of foreign policy discussed by the French daily newspaper was followed by Romani Prodi’s “ ambition” to “put his country back at the centre of the international stage”. “Romano Prodi – as stated in the comment expressed in this article – refers to his experience as the head of the European Commission and has plans for reviving Europe, within the framework of defence as well as other sectors. After five years of Berlusconi’s lack of commitment, this is rather good news”. The journalist who wonders whether Europeans have “scored a point” in the Lebanon by sending their peacekeeping troops is Marie-Francoise Macon , in the paper La Croix. “The European Union – she states as a started point – took fifteen days to decide to send about 7000 soldiers to the Lebanon. It had taken six months to decide to send troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo and almost a year for Bosnia”. “Although one must be prudent when analysing and addressing the consequences of the Lebanese crisis – says Nicole Gnesotto, Director of the European Union’s Institute for Security Studies, when interviewed by Masson – it is obvious that the European Union has assumed an extremely important responsibility, not only as far as the Middle East is concerned, but also in strengthening the United Nations” . In the Lebanon however, “the European Union’s increased power must be part of an overall political vision for the stability of the Middle East”. “Italy’s commitment to guarantee 3000 soldiers has become the key element in implementing strong peacekeeping action by the United Nations, led by Europe”. This is what was published by Time (September 4th), in an interview with Italian Foreign Minister, Massimo D’Alema. A whole page was devoted to relations between Europe and the Middle East, in view of the changes resulting from the current conflict in the Lebanon, by The Economist (August 19th – 25th), with an article attempting to answer the question concerning “why Europe, unlike America, finds it so difficult to love Israel”. On the day on which the Italian contingent left for the Lebanon, the Avvenire (30/8) in an interview with Richard N. Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, interviewed by Ivana Arnaldi , on the subject of the percentage of success UN forces have in “re-establishing order in Southern Lebanon and stabilising the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah” declared that: “It will all depend on circumstances” , also because the UN resolution “is rather vague on the use of force should the two belligerents start fighting again”. The Spanish daily newspaper El Paìs on August 31st discussed “Kofi Annan’s difficult visit to the Middle East, an omen of future problems”, while the troops of the new international contingent begin to arrive in the Lebanon. “It will take some time for the multinational contingent to reach the levels of commitment entered by the various countries, not to mention the objective consisting in 15.000 soldiers established by the UN”. As El Paìs reminds us, “This is one of the last great mission in Annan’s mandate” also including “ the difficulties the military contingent will encounter in managing to guarantee the ceasefire”. “Hezbollah has acted very quickly, and, in spite of the conflict has taken the initiative in the reconstructions of the areas destroyed, using money that is thought to come from Iran. The Lebanese who saw their homes destroyed do not ask where the dollars have come from. With this Hezbollah makes progress when compared to the international community that as usual appears at a later stage. A conference of donors will be held next Thursday in Stockholm which must raise at least 500 million euros. It is necessary for this to happen to try and rebuild the Lebanon and make up for the country’s 20 years of the retrocession caused by this destructive war”. In its leading article entitled “Soldiers in the diplomatic void”, on August 31st ABC too questions the arrival in the Lebanon of the first Spanish soldier . “The progressive deployment of Spanish soldiers in international missions – says the leading article – emphasises one of the most serious contradiction in Rodriguez Zapatero’s confused foreign policy”. According to the daily newspaper “sending about one thousand men from the Navy to the Lebanon, as part of the Unifil contingent, presupposes Spain’s active participation in very high risk area”.
