Italy renews support to UAE stand on isles

Speaker of the Italian Parliament Gianfranco Fini has renewed his country's firm stand on the issue of UAE's three islands occupied by Iran.
"The islands belong to the UAE and the issue should be resolved via direct negotiations or international arbitration," Fini said during a joint press conference with Federal National Council's Speaker Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ghurair, held yesterday following a round of talks.
Fini praised his country's "special relations" with the UAE and expressed the hope that the ties will further be enhanced in all fields.
Earlier, Al Ghurair and Fini discussed during their talks a number of proposals aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries in parliamentary issues. Al Ghurair gave a presentation on the federal system in the UAE and the constitutional amendments introduced recently.
He urged Italy to utilize its participation in the Sharm Al Shaikh summit to work towards easing suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza and to devise a mechanism to ensure that violence does not flare up again in Gaza. "We hope that the ceasefire in Gaza will be a precursor for a consensus by the summits for the peace and security of the people of Palestine and Israel," he said.
Al Ghurair reiterated the Palestinian people's right in setting up their independent state, as well as Israel's right to exist. "It is necessary to send aid to Gaza, to resume dialogue, to maintain Palestinian unity and that Iran should not interfere in the Palestinian issue. It is also important that Arabs should unify their view so Europe can help in the efforts to achieve peace."