Italy: Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and his main electoral rival Romano Prodi yesterday clashed bitterly over the implications of a US State Department warning about "ongoing security concerns" in Italy ahead of next month's general election.
In a public announcement issued earlier this week, the State Department warned US citizens travelling to or residing in Italy about the possibility of violence at demonstrations linked to the election campaign.
In particular, the statement highlighted a March 11th protest in Milan where "No Global" activists and anarchists clashed with police, leaving 15 policemen injured, 45 demonstrators arrested and resulted in serious damage to private property.
Pointing out that Italy "continues to be under heightened public threat from al-Qaeda" because of its involvement in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the statement advises US citizens "to avoid areas where crowds are expected to gather" and "to take commonsense precautions".
Centre-left leader Mr Prodi, who phoned the US ambassador to Italy, Ronald Spogli, for "an explanation", commented: "I was very struck by a move like this because, with the election so close [ April 9th, 10th], such a move could create a sense of anxiety and fear, and that is the last thing we need."
Mr Prodi went on to say that he believed the "alarm" had been sounded by Mr Berlusconi's government.
On Wednesday, after he had been verbally abused by leftist protesters in Genoa, the prime minister said that Italy finds itself in a "democratic emergency", accusing the centre-left of using "violent thugs" to attack him.
In response to Mr Prodi yesterday, Mr Berlusconi said: "Prodi has interfered in US affairs, simply as a way of covering the reality of the situation, namely that the left shelters those who use violence in many different ways and places."
For his part, Mr Prodi denied interfering in US affairs but rather claimed that he had merely sought the explanation that the prime minister himself "ought to have gone looking for".
Furthermore, Mr Prodi dismissed the prime minister's alarm about a "democratic emergency" as "far from reality".
Opinion polls continue to show Mr Prodi's coalition four to five points in front of Mr Berlusconi's centre-right forces.