Italian PM to Visit Tunisia Next Week, Discuss Illegal Immigration

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (EPA)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (EPA)
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Italian PM to Visit Tunisia Next Week, Discuss Illegal Immigration

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (EPA)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (EPA)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to visit Tunisia next week at the invitation of President Kais Saied.

Political observers believe the visit will address several thorny issues between the two nations, including illegal immigration from the shores of Tunisia towards the Italian coasts.

Tunisian presidency announced that Saied discussed the distinguished bilateral relations and the strategic ties between Tunisia and the European Union over the phone with the Prime Minister.

Observers also expect the visit to address Saied's initiative to hold a high-level conference between all countries affected by the migration issue.

The initiative includes countries in North Africa, the Sahel, the Sahara, and the northern shore of the Mediterranean. It aims to tackle the causes of irregular migration and identify appropriate ways to end the resulting humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar hailed Italy's understanding of the need to support the economic recovery ongoing in his country.

Ammar was speaking Friday night during a ceremony marking Italy's National Day at the residence of Italy's ambassador to Tunis.

The top official also thanked Italy for all its efforts to explain Tunisia's viewpoint to other countries regarding negotiations for a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He described Italy's backing of Tunisia on this point as "intelligent and constructive," saying it is a position that reflects Rome's insistence that the IMF finances the Tunisian economy to avoid collapse.

Last May, Meloni called on the International Monetary Fund during the G7 Summit in Japan to adopt a "pragmatic" approach to disburse financing to Tunisia without preconditions.



Argentina Withdraws from UN Peacekeeping Mission in Lebanon

 UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles ride along a street amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles ride along a street amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Argentina Withdraws from UN Peacekeeping Mission in Lebanon

 UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles ride along a street amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles ride along a street amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon November 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Argentina has notified the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon of its withdrawal from the force, a UNIFIL spokesperson said on Tuesday, in the first sign of cracks in the unity of the mission following attacks it has blamed on Israel.

The 10,000-strong United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission is deployed in southern Lebanon to monitor the demarcation line with Israel, an area where there have been hostilities between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters for over a year.

"Argentina has asked its officers to go back (to Argentina)," UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said in response to a question about a newspaper report.

He declined to comment on the reason for their departure, referring the question to Argentina's government.

Argentina is one of 48 countries contributing peacekeepers to UNIFIL, with a total of three staff currently in Lebanon, a UN website showed. It did not immediately respond to Tenenti's comments.

UNIFIL has previously referred to "unacceptable pressures being exerted on the mission through various channels".

Peacekeepers have refused to leave their posts despite more than 20 injuries in the past two months and damage to facilities which UNIFIL blames on the Israeli military.

Israel has denied such incidents are deliberate attacks. Israel says UN troops provide a human shield for Hezbollah fighters and has told UNIFIL to evacuate from southern Lebanon for its own safety - a request that the force has rejected.

Tenenti said there was no broader indication of declining support for the mission.

"The idea is to stay. So there is no discussion of withdrawing at all," he said.

He said that its monitoring activities were "very, very limited" because of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict and repairs to some of its facilities.

"We're still working on fixing some of the positions, but this has been definitely a very difficult moment, because we've been deliberately attacked by the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) in recent months, and we're doing our utmost to rebuild the areas," he said.

Israel's military did not immediately comment on Tenenti's remarks.