SISMI in Afghanistan

None of us have much sympathy for SISMI, the fascist branch of Italian military intelligence, but this statement by Mario D'Auria to Sky News is revealing. You see, his son, Lorenzo D'Auria (whom they say was an expert on Afghanistan), married with 3 kids, was send on a covert operation to monitor Afghanistan's frontier with Iran and was promptly kidnapped -say accounts- by Mullah Khuda-e-Dad, who was going to turn them over to the Taliban. He was riddled with bullets in the rescue operation launched by British special forces and lies mortally wounded in an Italian military hospital.

"He and his partner were sent to make an incursion across the frontier, because the Italian clandestine services were charged with discovering whether weapons were coming through there to satisfy Bush, who's an arms trader himself"

Moreover, Mario says that he cannot go the the hospital to see his son because after his statement to the press, SISMI would have him arrested.

So now the question. Does this not sound like that SISMI has been recruited to plant evidence of Iranian arms smuggling into Afghanistan?

Italians protest Bush's visit to Rome

Via Corriere della Sera

The last shot is my favorite: "What a joke! If Rome is locked down, how did Bush get in?"

Big in Arabia

Thousands of hits from Riyadh to Rabat just to view the tender derrières of these Italian war protesters (blogged 11 November 2005).

Italy, Prodi Resigns

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema succeeded in bringing down the Prodi government today by drawing a line in the sand and challenging Italy's Left. D'Alema never seemed to me to be exceptionally astute, confirmed by his breach of the rule that you cannot be inflexibly arrogant in dealing with your coalition when you command a razor-thin majority. Foolishly, D'Alema went where no wise politician would have gone: he declared that the Government would resign if the vote of confidence failed (they're calling it the "Kabul or Bust" gamble.)

Today's vote in on Prodi's foreign policy lost in the Senate by two votes over troop presence in Afghanistan and extension of the US bases at Vicenza and Sigonella. Truth be told, until now the Left had swallowed the entire package of deregulation/liberalization measures, at odds with its historic positions, but was not prepared to surrender on war. The recent US action in Somalia, a former Italian colonial possession, probably did much in convincing Italy's Left to entrench in opposing Italy's cooperation with further US military undertakings. Already simmering because of Italy's participation in the war in Iraq, the Left and the Greens were pushed to the wall with the announcement of the NATO Spring Offensive in Afghanistan and saber rattling by Washington at Tehran.

Prodi tried to save the bacon by calling a hasty "summit" with Spain's Zapatero on the of Ibiza to placate the Left. It was something of a simple-minded pantomime, like Bush bussing the Saudi Crown Prince: "See, Zapatero is okay with keeping his contingent in Afghanistan, and so should we."

What is pathetic was that because of his decision to pull out of Iraq, Prodi was declared persona non grata in Washington, like Zapatero. [Note: Unprecedented: they are both NATO heads of government]. Pretending nothing was amiss in the rapporto speziale, Prodi soldiered on in traditional pro-American Demo-Christian fashion. But within Italy, where it matters, he apparently lost sight of the necessity of the support of the Greens and the Communists in keeping his government afloat. The resignation is unlikely to put the fear of God in them.

However, it may not be over: There will now be a second vote on confidence -this time whether Mr. Prodi should form a new government.

The Vicenza Protests

Via La Repubblica.

My sentiments exactly! 50,000 100,000 Italians are protesting the extension of the US airbase in Vicenza, scene of the torture of Abu Omar and a platform for the bombing of Baghdad in '03 and potential operations against Iran. Not to mention the rendition flights.

But the Italian government says its hands are tied by a the extension agreement, signed by Berlusconi. Personally, if my Prime Minister were not allowed to set foot in Washington, then I'd close down the base!

WANTED, in Italy

New York Army National Guard Specialist Luis Mario Lozano has been indicted in Italy for the 2005 fatal shooting of Italian intelligence agent Nicholas Calipari and the wounding of reporter Giuliana Sgrena and Carabiniere Major Andrea Carpani.

There is a judicial mutual assistance treaty in force between Italy and the United States that would require the extradition of Specialist Lozano but don't expect it to be enforced. Prime Minister Prodi has been declared, like Spain's Zapatero, persona non grata in the United States by the Bush Administration. If Prodi applied for a visa, to visit the US, it would not be granted! Imagine --these gentlemen are NATO allies who have lose valuable personnel, both military and civilian, in Iraq and Afghanistan!

Culture for War

From La Repubblica

The Berlusconi government diverted 100 million euros in revenue from a tax to support arts and culture to fund the Italian contingent in Iraq.

Hmmm, I wonder how much money from the Endowment for the Humanities has been diverted to fund the war in Iraq by the Bush Administration?