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19 July 2006
BERLIN – The presidents of Germany and Italy called Wednesday for a ceasefire to bring an end to the latest hostilities in the Middle East.
A resumption of Mideast peace talks was also needed, German President Horst Koehler and his Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano said after talks in Berlin.
Israel had a right to defend itself, Koehler said, but there were concerns about the large number of civilian casualties and infrastructure damage caused by its offensive in Lebanon.
Napolitano, 81, the first former communist to be elected president of Italy, is paying a state visit to Germany.
A staunch European who served as interior minister in 1996, he was named a senator for life in 2005 by his predecessor as president, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
DPA
Subject: German news