Fear of America

MrBrian

U.S. base expansion plan splits Italy government

By Stephen Brown
Tue Jan 16, 9:44 AM ET

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's centre-left government, already accused by the opposition of being anti-American, is being split down the middle over whether to let Washington expand one of the largest U.S. military bases in Europe.

Prime Minister Romano Prodi, who came to power last May amid talk that the staunch pro-Washington line of his predecessor Silvio Berlusconi would be reversed, must decide by Friday whether to the green light for enlarging a base at Vicenza.

Vicenza, near Venice in northern Italy, is home to the U.S. Southern European Task Force, based in Italy since 1951 in the Cold War years.

Some local unions say hundreds of jobs would be lost if the plan is rejected and the Americans move to Germany instead.

One large leftist faction of the ruling coalition wants a national referendum on the base and the communists threaten a cabinet revolt.

But centrists like Interior Minister Giuliano Amato warn of the consequences of saying no to Washington, saying Italy should keep a promise made by the previous government.

Former defense minister Antonio Martino of Berlusconi's Forza Italia party said rejecting it would have "serious repercussions" on relations with the United States and accused the government of being "a prisoner of the far left."

Area residents opposed to the expansion have held large demonstrations and plan another late on Tuesday, while supporters will hold their demonstration in Rome on Wednesday.

The debate comes on the heels of accusations of anti-U.S. bias made by Berlusconi, who for his five years in power was one of Washington's staunchest allies in Europe and fully backed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The debate comes on the heels of accusations of anti-U.S. bias made by Berlusconi, who for his five years in power was one of Washington's staunchest allies in Europe and fully backed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Berlusconi was incensed to hear leftist Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema criticizing U.S. policy on Iraq. Berlusconi accused D'Alema of being too keen on dialogue with Iran's anti-U.S. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"America has put us on the list of untrustworthy nations," Berlusconi said at the weekend

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That last line say's it all.

MrBrian

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's center-left government will not block U.S. plans to expand a vital military base, Prime Minister Romano Prodi said on Tuesday, rebuffing opposition accusations of anti-Americanism.

"I am about to tell the U.S. ambassador that the Italian government won't oppose the decision by the previous government and the town council of Vicenza to allow the expansion of the military base," Prodi told reporters on a visit to Bucharest.

"Our attitude in regards to the USA is that of friend and ally," he said


One large leftist faction of Prodi's ruling coalition had called for a national referendum on Vicenza and the communists threatened a cabinet revolt. The head of the Italian Communist party, Oliviero Diliberto, said he was "very disappointed, very displeased."

After Prodi's statement, a small number of protesters gathered in Vicenza's Piazza Castello. "I hope this isn't a definitive decision and that they would want to see what the citizens of Vicenza say," said one demonstrator, Patrizia Balbo.

Town councilor Ciro Asproso called it a "double mistake." "Not only did Prodi act unilaterally without consulting his ministers, he's a made a wrong decision about the base."

Centrists in Prodi's cabinet, like Interior Minister Giuliano Amato, warned of the consequences of saying no, saying Italy should keep the previous government's promise.








http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070116/wl_nm/italy_usa_base_dc_5

ThumbingMyWay32

Perfect! We have the soon to be 51st state exactly where we want them!

MUUHAHAHAHHAAHAHAH!!

MrBrian

ThumbingMyWay32 wrote:

Perfect! We have the soon to be 51st state exactly where we want them!

MUUHAHAHAHHAAHAHAH!!

Absentem laedit, qui cum ebrio litigat
----

Put down the beer, we'll talk in the morning. I'm sure you have much to offer, until then I don't see any point in speaking with you.

CorporateWhore

I love how there are communist parties in so many european countries.

When did we win the cold war again?

Kann

When did McCarthy leave the senate again?
Having a commnunist/socialist party is just a way of having a wider choice of political views. From my point of view you just seem to have two right wing political parties. But that's my point of view, I'm not there.

catefrances

it has always been my question to ask WHY are there are so many US military bases throughout the world. and i dont want to hear any bullshit about keeping the peace and spreading democracy.

Puck78

catefrances wrote:

it has always been my question to ask WHY are there are so many US military bases throughout the world. and i dont want to hear any bullshit about keeping the peace and spreading democracy.

at the beginning they were set in central europe as "debt of war". But this doesn't justify the requests to make the bases more big NOW. Also: more than 50 years passed since the war, and people living around the bases (and, for example, around the nuclear weapons stored in them -talking about wmd-) were neither born at the time of the war. So, it's time for the bases to be dismatled.

surferdude

catefrances wrote:

it has always been my question to ask WHY are there are so many US military bases throughout the world. and i dont want to hear any bullshit about keeping the peace and spreading democracy.

Because the UN is useless.

Countries like Italy don't want to spend any money on their own defence, so use US military bases on their soil as defence by proxy.

Kann

surferdude wrote:

Because the UN is useless.

Countries like Italy don't want to spend any money on their own defence, so use US military bases on their soil as defence by proxy.

Do you really believe what you're typing? What has the UN have to do with defending Italy? What's the use of having a European Union?

norm

CorporateWhore wrote:

I love how there are communist parties in so many european countries.

When did we win the cold war again?

Could you please take off the "I Like Ike" button and join us in the 21st century.

Thanks.:)

surferdude

Kann wrote:

Do you really believe what you're typing? What has the UN have to do with defending Italy? What's the use of having a European Union?

The UN is supposed to act as a sort of world police, making everyone safer. Just take a look at places like Darfur and tell me if the UN can be counted on.

The EU is primarily to facilitate trade. Italy couldn't defend itself against a set of hyperactive boy scouts, they cave to terrorist demands. France can't even deal with their internal strife let lone an outside attack. Does the EU have an army? Or does it primarily count on US presence as the deterant?

angelica

cutback wrote:

Could you please take off the "I Like Ike" button and join us in the 21st century.

Thanks.:)

I spent the past two minutes laughing at this!

Puck78

surferdude wrote:

The UN is supposed to act as a sort of world police, making everyone safer. Just take a look at places like Darfur and tell me if the UN can be counted on.

The EU is primarily to facilitate trade. Italy couldn't defend itself against a set of hyperactive boy scouts, they cave to terrorist demands. France can't even deal with their internal strife let lone an outside attack. Does the EU have an army? Or does it primarily count on US presence as the deterant?

ehm, in Italy we have an army and we're not mad about terrorism like you. Bases in italy are not to protect us but for debts of war. You are not informed at all.

Kann

surferdude wrote:

The UN is supposed to act as a sort of world police, making everyone safer. Just take a look at places like Darfur and tell me if the UN can be counted on.

The EU is primarily to facilitate trade. Italy couldn't defend itself against a set of hyperactive boy scouts, they cave to terrorist demands. France can't even deal with their internal strife let lone an outside attack. Does the EU have an army? Or does it primarily count on US presence as the deterant?

Get your facts straight. If the countries of the security council don't want peacekeeping there will be no peacekeeping (ie Darfur and the middle east).
The EU's goal was to facilitate trade. The EU makes its members more than economical partners, it is now a political entity.
As for the rest, international and national crisis are not dealt in reality like in movies. No one will attack the EU, middle ages have passed. And if someone does several NATO members do reside in Europe.
You don't send military to end a riot.