Issue splits Italian Govt

Press, 6 August 1987, Page 6

Issue splits Italian Govt

NZPA-Reuter Rome Italy’s refusal to send minesweepers to help the United States in the Gulf has split the parties in the new coalition Government even before it has won a parliamentary vote of confidence.

The Republicans and Social Democrats, junior partners in the five-party coalition, openly attacked Saturday’s decision to reject a United States request for naval support. The former Socialist Prime Minister, Bettino Craxi, leader of the second largest coalition party, said Europe could not evade its responsibilities.

But the Foreign Minister, Giulio Andreotti, the main target for criticism, and the Defence Minister, Valerio Zanone, yesterday defended Italy’s decision to leave the United Nations to find a solution.

Andreotti, speaking after a Cabinet meeting,

said Italy’s position had been agreed by the Government. “I don’t think

anything has emerged to change this. I do not think you should weaken the U.N. initiative,” he added. Mr Zanone said that in the face of a complex arid delicate problem, Italy had chosen a prudent

policy. "One should be capable of distinguishing between prudence and weakness or indecision.

There is no weakness or indecision in the Government’s attitude.”

The United Nations Security Council on July 20 demanded a ceasefire in the seven-year-old war between Iran and Iraq, which have attacked shipping in the Gulf to cut off each other’s oil exports.

The United States, which is protecting reflagged Kuwaiti tankers from Iranian attack,

asked its European allies for help after the tanker Bridgeton hit a mine on July 24 and exposed a lack of United States minesweepers. Mr Andreotti, a member of the majority Christian Democrats who is considered to have been behind the Italian response, favours cautious, behind-the-scenes diplomacy. But the newspaper of the pro-American Republican Party said: “Limiting yourself to hoping that the United Nations will make its voice heard runs the risk of providing an alibi for avoiding decisions, a danger which Europeans must avoid.” The Social Democratic party newspaper expressed the hope Andreotti would not recommend an approach which would undermine Italy’s traditional alliance with Washington. Italians must avoid the danger of “burying our heads in the sand,” it said.