ROME: The revolts rocking the Arab world show the international community should favor freedom and democracy over dictatorial stability, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Tuesday.
"It’s time to stop favoring the stability of dictatorial government over sincere dialogue on important values," Frattini said at a meeting organized by the Sant’Egidio religious aid group in Rome, ANSA news agency reported.
"Europe has made many mistakes. We all have over many years. This springtime of revolutions that is coursing through the Arab world has opened the eyes of the entire globe," Frattini said.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been widely criticized for his close ties with the ousted authoritarian presidents of Egypt and Tunisia and with Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi.
Italy has now shifted its diplomatic stance and is calling for Qaddafi to leave power along with the rest of the international community.
"We have to support demands for freedom, democracy and rule of law because these requests are not an alternative to stability," he said.
