Rome tense as Govt halts Moro news

Press, 11 April 1978, Page 8

Rome tense as Govt halts Moro news

NZPA-Reuter Rome l The Italian Government has imposed a tight news '! black-out on the urban guer-! 1 1 rill* kidnapping of former 11 Prime Minister, Aldo Moro, I (after a string of developments over the week-end. A new message from the Red Brigades addressed to the .Moro family on Friday

i was believed to contain concrete demands for the release of Mr Moro, held since March 16, but no details of ! the letter have been released. ; An earlier message from Mr Moro’s captors demanded ! the release of “all communist prisoners” in Italy and there is speculation that the (kidnappers have included the ! names of extremists held in (West German, Swiss, and ! Austrian jails. | The Italian Interior Minister (Mr Francesco Cossiga) | flew to Switzerland on Saturday for talks with West German, Austrian, and Swiss Interior Ministers. I A Swiss Government anI nouncement said: “The talks (concerned principally I strengthening the struggle I against terrorist operations which extend beyond the (frontiers of these countries.

Other questions of mutual . Interest were also dis- I cussed.” It gave no further details, and for security reasons did I not disclose the venue of the , talks. Immediately on his return * to Rome on Sunday night, [Mr Cossiga met the Prime Minister (Mr Giulio An- i dreotti), the Defence and ■ Finance Ministers and the : Christian Democrat Party ’ secretary (Mr Benigno Zaq- • cagnini). Although the Government ( has said it will not bow to | blackmail, it has not ruled ( out contact with the gueririllas, who say their captive |is on trial in a people’s jail for “his crimes against the proletariat.” After Friday’s message, t according to unconfirmed re- a ports of a three-page letter ( written by Mr Moro, senior \ Government justice and ii police officials have visited the Moro home in a con- F stant flow. c

Cardinal Ugo Poletti, the vicar of Rome, has also called on Mrs Eleonora Moro and her three daughters and one son.

In his first message, Mr Moro suggested that the Vatican might act as media-

tor between his kidnappers and the Government, but Cardinal Poletti said his visit was purely for humanitarian reasons.

In the past 24 hours, Rome has become a tense city with increased police patrols in the streets. As rumours snowballed, newspapers staffed their offices around the clock and staked out Mr Moro’s home, key Ministries, and police and justice headquarters.