BRUSSELS, Belgium, Dec. 20--An Italian analyst said the current leadership in Iran is pragmatic and praised President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as being of a high caliber.

“The current leadership in Iran is very pragmatic and strong,“ Paolo Raffone, secretary-general of the Brussels-based Italian think-tank CIPI (Centro Italiano Prospetiva Internazionale) also told IRNA in an interview.

Raffone noted that Ahmadinejad is “proving to be a high profile and high caliber leader who can exert power at the regional level“.

“Actually he showed it with the Lebanese crisis. So he can, of course, be a key interlocutor for the region.“

He believes Italy is well placed to play a role in resolving the Middle East crises.

“I believe Italy has excellent relations (developed) over 50 years with Iran. Our presence in Iran is stable. We have always been there from the economic and commercial viewpoints,“ said Raffone, who previously worked with the UN.

“From the political viewpoint, we have excellent relationship with the leadership of Iran and, therefore, there is a possibility Italy can play a key role in resolving crises at the regional level,“ he said.

On Iran’s nuclear case, the analyst told IRNA that all the people involved know pretty well what is the actual situation and can talk differently behind closed doors.

Raffone presented to the press in Brussels on Tuesday a new book titled “Europe’s Global Power“ published by CIPI.

One chapter of the 169-page book deals with the European security concept for Iran.