| Several dozen Iranians demonstrated yesterday outside Italyâs Embassy in Tehran as diplomatic ties between Rome and Tehran continued to deteriorate over Iranâs nuclear ambitions and its anti-Israeli stance. âIsrael should be and will be wiped off the map,â and âItalian soldiers must leave Iraq,â read some of the banners carried by protesters who chanted âDeath to Israelâ and âDeath to America.âItalian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gianfranco Fini on Thursday reconsidered participating in a protest in solidarity with Israel outside the Iranian embassy in Rome. Fini, who stressed earlier that he would join the protest before 10 p.m. local time, said in a statement that his participation in the demonstration may result in Iranian reactions that would harm Italian national interest and safety of Italian citizens. Meanwhile, opposition leader and candidate for the position of Italian prime minister Romano Prodi announced that he would not participate in the protest. A spokesperson for Prodi said that he expressed solidarity with Israel's right to exist, noting that he also met with the Iranian ambassador in Rome. The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi also met with the Iranian ambassador on Wednesday during a meeting with Muslim ambassadors in Rome on the occasion of Eid el-Fitr. |