Europe must revive neglected foreign policy - Italian president

Italy's newly re-elected president Giorgio Napolitano waves at the end of his speech at the lower house of the parliament in Rome, April 22, 2013. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

ROME (Reuters) - With strife mounting in many adjacent regions, Europe must renew a focus on foreign policy that was neglected as it dealt with a debt crisis, Italy's president said in an interview on Saturday.

Italy's six-month presidency of the European Union (EU) began this month, coinciding with escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians, worsening conflict in Ukraine, and civil war in Iraq and Syria.