CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, XVII LEGISLATURE, 478th MEETING, 9 SEPTEMBER 2015.

On 9 September 2015, during a question time taking place at the Chamber of Deputies, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Paolo Gentiloni Silveri, took position on the need for a political transition in Syria. He stated the following:

I have to say that the Italian position has been coherent since the very start of the acute phase of this crisis – that is, for two or three years now. We are convinced that, in addition to the containment of and military opposition to Daesh, a political transition is necessary. It is therefore our opinion that we have to overcome the current regime and the leadership of Mr. Bashar al-Assad through a transition avoiding the creation of another power and institutional vacuum. This already happened in other contexts – someone recalled Libya – and led to further tragedies. Some time ago, we were alone in holding such a view. Some said “first of all, we kick Mr. Bashar al-Assad out through bombs”, others said “we stand by Mr. Bashar al-Assad to the last man”. As of today, the idea of a transition aimed at changing the dictatorship in a gradual and political way is spreading. As for other aspects, certainly the Italian Government participates in the anti-Daesh coalition. This is particularly true in Iraq where it supports the legitimate Iraqi Government and the Kurdish Peshmerga combatants, who are at the forefront in the fight against Daesh in the territory of the Iraqi Kurdistan.

The full Italian version of this statement can be downloaded here.