>A request - is there anyone out there who could give a quick description of
>what is happening in Italy?
>
>John Mage
This has been unanswered up to now from Italy or an expert in Italian politics, so here are only some cues for what to pay attention to in the news:
- on Saturday Italian Prime Minister d'Alema was due to make a statement on the position of the Italian Government concerning the war and refugees in the Balkans (unfortunately I could not retrieve the full statement or a summary; the German main stream electronic and print media which normally have a broad coverage of international affairs now have very few reports about what's going on abroad as far the opposition to the war or dissenting views on it is concerned.)
- the communist (PDCI) ministers Dilliberto and Belillo are to leave the Cabinet if d'Alema will not support a cease-fire - although the Communists will still support the centre left Government in Parliament - that was the situation on Friday. But yesterday they decided to stay in the Government (see below).
- 80.000 attended the central manifestation for peace in Rome Saturday afternoon.
It is unlikely that the resignation of the two ministers would have had any effect on NATO's strategy as the position of the Italian Government is backed by the conservative parties in the Italian Parliament. The situation is similar to that in France, where a retreat of the Communist Party from the govermental bench would be made up for by the Conservatives and Liberals.
However, a withdrawal from coalition governments - for a while and/or partly - would be a sign for the political forces in Western Europe which are engaged to stop this war of aggression to intensify and to focus their efforts. Given the non-existence of political opposition in Britain and the non-influence of the German opposition to the war on the decision machinery of the German Government it looks that it is only the Italian and French left which could have a very-very limited chance to trigger a halt or a turning back of NATO's strategy at the moment.
Could anybody comment and/or add to on what is going on in Italy, France, and in the "minor" European member states of NATO where "progressive" parties are leading the present governments? What's about the Canadian left?
Hinrich Kuhls Duesseldorf, Germany
PS:
ROMA - I ministri dei Comunisti italiani restano al loro
posto. Lo ha deciso il Coordinamento nazionale del
Pdci, approvando a stragrande maggioranza (19 a
favore, 4 astenuti e 3 contrari) la mozione presentata
da Armando Cossutta. Già in mattinata, durante i
lavori, si era capito che le nuove iniziative diplomatice
e umanitarie messe in campo dal presidente del
Consiglio Massimo D'Alema avevano indotto la
maggioranza del partito di Cossutta a ripensare
all'idea di dare le dimissioni. http://www.repubblica.it/news/ired/ultimora/pdci.htm (ore 17:52 del 03-04-99) see also: http://www.repubblica.it/quotidiano/repubblica/19990404/interni/10cos.html
ROMA - Sono 80 mila, almeno secondo gli
organizzatori, i partecipanti alla manifestazione che si
svolge oggi pomeriggio a Roma, a favore della pace
nei Balcani. "Fermate la guerra": : con questo slogan
si è aperto il grande corteo la cui testa, in via
Merulana, era lontana un chilometro abbondante dalla
coda, in piazza della Repubblica. Treni speciali e
pullman hanno portato a Roma i dimostranti da
numerose località italiane, dalla Sicilia fino alla
Lombardia. Tra le bandiere delle Acli, dei Verdi, delle
Chiese evangeliche, spiccano per numero, in coda al
corteo, quelle rosse comuniste. http://www.repubblica.it/news/ired/ultimora/mani.htm (ore 17:16 del 03-04-99)