28/08/2006 (Agence Europe) - In an interview published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of 26 August, Italian foreign minister Massimo D'Alema spoke about the EU commitment in Lebanon (see EUROPE 9251 on 25 August's extraordinary Council) and developments in Iran. On Lebanon, Mr D'Alema said that a contribution towards peace had to be made within a new framework, in which the UN recovered some influence and Europe once again had influence. In the Iraq scenario, he said, neither the UN nor the European Union had had a role. This latest opportunity must not be missed. On the question of whether Italy wanted to be given a say on the Iranian issue, along with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany (“5+1”), Mr D'Alema said, “We Italians are, along with Germany, Iran's main trading partners, and we have committed ourselves to the front line in Lebanon with regard to Hezbollah. For this reason, we too have the right to be included when the Iranian question is raised”.