Visiting Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on Tuesday reiterated Italy's support for Israel and blasted what he defined as the ''delirious rantings'' against the existence of the Jewish state.
Speaking after his meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Napolitano said that Italy ''cannot help but react with indignation and strengthen its resolve to ensure that such proclamations be banned for ever and that humanity never again have to relieve the aberrations of the past''.
''Peace can no longer be postponed. Peace demands courageous decisions which will be very difficult to fulfill. But this is the best and only way to guarantee the rights of all peoples in the region, including Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state,'' the Italian president added.
''For the first time after many long years, recent courageous efforts have been able to rekindle the hope for dialogue and make it possible to see for the first time, after many years, true hope on the horizon,'' Napolitano said.
The Italian president concluded by observing that ''we must now raise our sights and look beyond, towards a goal of peaceful coexistence between two sovereign states, in which the two peoples who live in this land rich in history can finally achieve not only their legitimate and inalienable rights but also their aspirations for peace and the fulfillment of their development potential''.
Napolitano, who is accompanied on his visit by Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, also stressed the ''excellent realtions'' which exist Italy and Israel and who Italy feels close to the Jewish people who have had to face ''tremendous hardships'' including the ''inhuman tragegy of the Holocaust''.
''Italy stands beside Israel in defense of its undeniable right to exist in peace and security along side other nations in the region,'' Napolitano said.
