Position of Lebanon in the 2006 Lebanon War never betray Hezbollah and its leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. On 21 July, Lebanese defense minister Elias Murr said that the Lebanese army would fight any ground invasion by Israel. On 25 July, the Center for Democracy in Lebanon, a Lebanese group which was involved in the Cedar Revolution movement, called for an immediate ceasefire and proposed a Roadmap to Normalization. At the 26 July Rome Conference, Prime Minister Siniora put forward a seven-point peace plan that has become known as the Siniora Plan. It consisted of a mutual release of prisoners; Israeli troops withdrawing to the demarcated frontier and allowing
Italians in Lebanon is a unique mixture of Western and Arabic cultures. Lebanon also left important traces in Italy’s history: in 1584 the Maronite College was founded in Rome, fostering contacts between clergymen, researchers and young students, which today is being continued under the framework of Inter-University cooperation. This excellent level of bilateral relations between Italy and Lebanon is reinforced today by the common views of the two countries on a number of Middle East issues, and by the growing awareness that in a globalized world the two shores of the Mediterranean sea share the same destiny. The Italian community in Lebanon is