Italian PM And The Pope Condemn Israeli Incursion In Lebanon
Matthew Borghese - All Headline News Staff Writer Rome, Italy (AHN) - Two powerful Italian leaders are speaking out against the Israeli operation in Lebanon to recover two kidnapped soldiers from the hands of Hezbollah guerrillas. Italian Premier Romano Prodi and Pope Benedict XVI are both concerned by the crisis, and are urging Israeli leaders to withdraw immediately. Prodi tells Italian news agency, ANSA, "the use of force has gone beyond what anyone predicted." "We deplore this escalation and the serious damage to Lebanon's infrastructure and the civilian victims that these raids have caused." Prodi adds that he has personally spoken with the Lebanese Prime Minister three times since the offensive, and has pressured their government to locate and release two Israeli soldiers, kidnapped by militants. However, Prodi continues, "I am deeply worried about the spiral of violence which makes it hard to return to dialogue. We are really going back 20 years and all effort put into the Road Map in recent years risks being in vain." Meanwhile, the Vatican has called the operation an "attack on a sovereign and free nation." Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano explains that the Pope, currently on vacation, continues to follow the situation closely. Sodano tells the Vatican Radio, "The latest dramatic events risk degenerating into a conflict with international repercussions."
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