Summary: September 4, 2003: Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the situation in Iraq and the Middle East (Rome)
Frattini, who will be holding talks later today with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, stressed that Italy was committed to seeking a common stance by European Union countries on a US resolution on Iraq.
"The willingness" of EU countries for "an in-depth look" at the US resolution on Iraq "will be for Europe an important way of finding a unity" that was lacking before the war on Iraq, he said.
Powell stressed that the resolution on Iraq calls for "a key role for the EU" and not only for the UN.
Referring to the situation in the Middle East, Frattini said the quartet of international mediators - the US, the EU, Russia and the United Nations who have drawn up the 'road map' to peace in the area - will be meeting at the end of the month.
The US Secretary of State expressed Washington's great appreciation for Italy's role, also voicing hope that as current EU duty president it can foster ways of arriving at a common EU stance. Speaking at the end of his meeting with Powell, Frattini stressed that Italy is a country "whose opinion is sought and taken into consideration" on an international level.
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