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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this morning, met with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. The two men discussed the ceasefire in the south and Italy's ability to assist in preventing the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip. The Prime Minister reiterated his gratitude to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for his recent visit here and for the letter in which he underscored Italy's commitment to joining the operation to prevent smuggling.
Italian Foreign Minister Frattini clarified what measures Italy would be prepared to take to prevent smuggling, both by sea and by providing experts and equipment, so as to make the anti-smuggling operations as effective as possible. The two men also discussed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Olmert emphasized that Hamas bears full responsibility for the devastation in the Gaza Strip and for attacks on innocents. He added that Hamas cannot, therefore, be allowed to lead the reconstruction process in the Strip and thereby gain some measure of legitimacy. Israel believes that the reconstruction process must be led by international organizations in cooperation with the UN, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority. To the extent that this is the case, Israel will cooperate fully with the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip, out of concern for the innocent population.
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