President Al-Nasser concludes visit to Italy

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano conferred with HE President of the General Assembly Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, who concluded today an official visit to Italy at the invitation of the Italian government. During his visit, Al-Nasser held several meetings with a number of senior officials. The discussions, which were held at the Palazzo del Quirinale, focused on a wide range of issues including the situation in the Middle East and the Arab region, Somalia, Security Council Reform and Italy’s role in advancing the UN work. Their talks also touched on the upcoming Global South-South Development Expo 2011, kicking off on Monday, 5 December, in Rome. President Al-Nasser who will be delivering the opening remarks noted that the conference will focus on finding solutions to the challenge of food insecurity in the Global South. President Al-Nasser also met with H.E Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant''Agata, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy. They discussed the latest developments in the Arab region and the Palestinian bid for full state membership of the United Nations. The talks also focused on the situation in Somalia, Security Council Reform, the preparations for Rio+20 and the Global South-South Development Expo 2011 which opens at the FAO Headquarters in Rome on Monday, 5 December. President Al-Nasser exchanged views with Mr. Terzi on the efforts made by the Government of Italy in the area of campaigning against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), being a fundamental violation of human rights.