Italy has asked NATO to explain why bombs not used in its campaign against Yugoslavia were being dumped into the Adriatic Sea. The Italian government has requested information from NATO that is "necessary to shed light on the discovery of explosive devices in the Adriatic's international waters," according to a communique from the office of the Prime Minister, Mr Massimo D'Alema, yesterday.
NATO admitted that bombs not used during raids for technical reasons had repeatedly been dropped into the sea which separates the Balkans from Italy. According to a report in the London Times this morning, hundreds of cluster bombs were found by fishermen who hauled them in with their nets.
The report claimed some fishermen had been injured when the bombs exploded and minesweepers have moved into the area to stop fishing vessels, passenger boats and cargo ships coming across the weapons. The explosives were found in the nets of several boats 25 miles south-east of Venice in international waters.
The discovery of the bombs has alarmed communities in the area around Chioggia, east of Venice. The Aviano air base is close to Venice and it is standard practice to jettison weapons if a military plane is in difficulty as it comes in to land.
According to reports, the bombs were yellow containers about the size of a soft drinks can - a description which matches cluster bomblets. They also had US markings and were dated 1999 when they were found between seven and 22 miles off the coast, the reports said.
Three fishermen were hurt earlier this week when a bomb that became caught in the net of their boat exploded. But that bomb was believed to have originated from the second World War.
Meanwhile, officials close to Italy's centre-left coalition have made fresh appeals for an end to NATO's air campaign. A parliamentary debate on the war is due to take place on Wednesday. But the Foreign Minister, Mr Lamberto Dini, said a unilateral ceasefire was out of the question until Yugoslavia conformed with the conditions of the peace deal drawn up by the Group of Eight.