Italian Defense Minister Says France, Germany 'Anti-European'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 30, 2003

Italian Defense Minister Says France, Germany 'Anti-European'

Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino on Wednesday accused France and Germany of taking an "anti-European" line on the Iraq crisis.

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Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino on Wednesday accused France and Germany of taking an "anti-European" line on the Iraq crisis.

Speaking during a current affairs talk show to be aired later Wednesday evening on Italy's state broadcaster RAI, Martino faced off with the nominal leader of the center-left opposition, Francesco Rutelli, who suggested the Italian government's positionon Iraq was dividing Europe.

"Two European countries out of 25, only two, France and Germany,meet up without consulting or even informing the others and then what (French President Jacques) Chirac and (German Chancellor Gerhard) Schroeder said should be accepted by the other 23, according to Rutelli," said Martino, a member of the Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.

"That's not Europe. They are the ones that are anti-European because they assumed their position would be shared by the other 23 states," Martino said.

Schroeder and Chirac are the two European leaders most stronglyopposed to a possible war on Iraq.

Berlusconi confirmed Wednesday that Italy would allow American planes bound for the Gulf to use the Italian air bases for "technical" operations, but government officials stressed this did not mean Italy was in favor of war.

Martino sent a letter to the parliamentary defense committees, informing them that the Italian bases would be used by the US military for stop-over and refueling needs in a bid to step up pressure on Iraq to comply with disarmament demands.

Italy has already given Washington permission to use its air space, in line with existing Italian-US treaties.

Martino also said, "I am convinced that Europe and the US will continue to move in a UN ambit and that there will be a second UN resolution which Europe will not be divided on."

On the issue of the bases, he explained that "our consent only means that American planes needing to refuel can land in Italian bases."

He said that parliament would have to be consulted should the bases be needed for other purposes.

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