Lahoud: unqualified US support to Israel makes Israel arrogant in challenging peace efforts

Lebanon's President Emile Lahud called on the EU and the international community to play a more active role in pressuring Israel to end its aggressive policies against the Palestinians and Syria and Lebanon.

Lahud told the Italian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and the EU Special Envoy Alfredo Mantica during a meeting in Beirut Wednesday that Lebanon and Syria believe in just and comprehensive peace and work for establishing it through the call to the implementation of international resolutions related to the region.

Lahoud stressed that Israel's aggression on Syria and Lebanon endangers stability in the region, saying that as long as Israel keeps enjoying U.S. support it would continue to thwart all international initiatives aiming at establishing just peace in the region.

For his part, Mantica expressed relief over the development of Lebanese-Italian relations in various fields as well as the coordination with the EU.

The Italian official also briefed the Lebanese President on the ongoing preparations for the November 8 meeting in the Italian city of Napoli to assess the situation in the Middle East and Iraq.