According to the former mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno, Italy can and should play an important role in the Ukrainian settlementVATICAN City, December 18.
/Correspondent of TASS Vera Shcherbakova/. The Italian socio-political committee "Stop the War", founded by the former mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno, held a flash mob in St. Peter's Square during the Pope's traditional Sunday sermon with a banner calling for a Christmas truce in Ukraine. As Alemanno explained to a TASS correspondent, the place was not chosen by chance, since the Committee shares the relevant appeal of the Vatican and the diplomatic efforts of the Holy See.
"We propose a truce as a basis for starting peace talks. But we are aware that the truce should be linked to the cessation of the supply of any weapons to Ukraine by all Western countries. And this should be proposed by the Russian Federation to achieve a truce," the source said.
"We also share the principle of the right to self-determination of peoples, and if the people of Donbass choose where to be, this is also the basis for achieving peace," he added.
The role of Italy
In his opinion, Italy can and should play an important role in the Ukrainian settlement. "We do not agree with the militant position that the country is taking now. It should be a place of meeting, dialogue, mediation. The previous government (Mario Draghi - approx. TASS) was technocratic, largely associated with the United States, It took the position of the "gendarme of Europe", suppressing attempts by Germany and France to start negotiations," Alemanno believes. The government of Giorgi Meloni, in his opinion, should change positions. "We hope that the current continuation of the previous line is temporary, that the positions will change," said the ex-mayor of Rome.
Alemanno is a representative of the right-wing political wing and knows the Prime Minister well, who heads the right-wing party "Brothers of Italy". At the same time, he also recognizes the peaceful initiatives of left-wing political forces and supported a peaceful demonstration in Rome on November 5, in which about 100 thousand people participated. "Our positions reflect the opinion of the majority of Italians who do not support sending weapons to Ukraine, and the Meloni government, formed on the basis of the people's choice, should take this into account," he continued.
The politician said that the committee has already held 25 different demonstrations and actions, considering it a priority to end the conflict in Europe, which threatens Italy with an economic catastrophe. A large-scale peace march in Rome is planned for February.
Paolo Lucci Chiarissi, a participant in Sunday's rally and a member of the committee, said in an interview with a TASS correspondent that he "does not tolerate distorted information in the media" about the conflict. "All this has already happened - in Libya, in Syria, all these fakes in the Western media," he shared.
In his address, Pope Francis again called for peace and prayers for an end to the "suffering in Ukraine."
As a rule, up to 25-30 thousand people gather in the square for Sunday papal sermons. On the Sundays preceding Christmas, after the installation of the Christmas tree and the nativity scene, this number may be higher.
