"BANANA PEEL POLITICS" IN ITALY

UNCLAS ROME 003213

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV IT ITALIAN POLITICS
SUBJECT: "BANANA PEEL POLITICS" IN ITALY

REF: ROME 1462


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: IN AN EMBARRASSING, INDELICATE, AND
BADLY-TIMED SLIP, INTERIOR MINISTER SCAJOLA SEEMS TO HAVE
CALLED THE RECENTLY MURDERED LABOR MINISTRY ADVISER, MARCO
BIAGI, ROUGHLY A "PAIN IN THE ASS." THE REACTION WAS
VINTAGE ITALIAN POLITICS -- OPPOSITION CALLS FOR HIS
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RESIGNATION AND THREATENED NO-CONFIDENCE VOTES. PM
BERLUSCONI REJECTED SCAJOLA'S RESIGNATION, AND WE REMAIN
CONFIDENT THIS GOVERNMENT WILL SERVE ITS FIVE-YEAR TERM.
END SUMMARY.


2. (U) ON JUNE 28, "LA REPUBLICA", A LEFT-LEANING DAILY,
PUBLISHED A SERIES OF LETTERS AND E-MAILS FROM MARCO BIAGI,
THE LABOR MINISTRY ADVISER MURDERED MARCH 19 IN BOLOGNA
(REF; BIAGI IS WIDELY PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN MURDERED BY THE
"NEW RED BRIGADES"). BIAGI SENT THE COMMUNICATIONS TO
PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES PIER FERDINANDO CASINI,
THE PREFECT (THE GOI'S LOCAL ADMINISTRATOR, REPORTING TO THE
INTERIOR MINISTRY) OF BOLOGNA, A DIRECTOR OF CONFINDUSTRIA
(ITALY'S LARGEST INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION),AND LABOR MINISTER
MARONI TO REQUEST REINSTATEMENT OF A POLICE ESCORT, SAYING
HE WAS IN FEAR OF HIS LIFE. IN LIGHT OF HIS MURDER, HIS
CONCERNS TURN OUT TO HAVE BEEN NO EXAGGERATION. IT IS
UNCLEAR WHAT PROMPTED "LA REPUBLICA" TO PRINT THE
COMMUNICATIONS AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME; REFERENCE HAS BEEN
MADE TO THEIR EXISTENCE IN THE PAST.


3. (U) WHILE IN CYPRUS ON AN OFFICIAL VISIT, ITALY'S
INTERIOR MINISTER, CLAUDIO SCAJOLA, WAS ASKED TO COMMENT ON
BIAGI'S COMMUNICATIONS. HE WAS QUOTED IN TWO CENTRIST
DAILIES, "CORRIERE DELLA SERA" AND "IL SOLE-24 ORE," AS
RESPONDING BY CALLING BIAGI SOMETHING ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO
A "PAIN IN THE ASS," AN EXPRESSION UNCHARACTERISTICALLY
VULGAR AND HARSH FOR THE NORMALLY-COMPOSED INTERIOR
MINISTER. HE REPORTEDLY ADDED THAT BIAGI ONLY SOUGHT TO GET
HIS CONTRACT EXTENDED AND THAT, HAD HE HAD AN ESCORT, THREE
PEOPLE WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED INSTEAD OF ONE. HE HAS SINCE
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SAID THAT HE "DID NOT RECOGNIZE" HIMSELF "IN THE REMARKS
ATTRIBUTED" TO HIM, BUT THE PREPONDERANCE OF INFORMATION
AVAILABLE SUGGESTS HE DID, INDEED, SAY SOMETHING HE SHOULD
NOT HAVE. EVEN HIS FELLOW GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL, LABOR
MINISTRY ROBERTO MARONI, URGED SCAJOLA TO APOLOGIZE FOR HIS
REMARKS -- AND WAS NOT REBUKED BY PM BERLUSCONI FOR SO
DOING.


4. (U) IN THE BROUHAHA FOLLOWING SCAJOLA'S REPORTED
REMARKS, THE OPPOSITION UNSURPRISINGLY CALLED FOR HIS
RESIGNATION. AFTER CONSULTING WITH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
FINI, AND PROBABLY OTHER GOVERNMENT MEMBERS AS WELL,
BERLUSCONI REJECTED SCAJOLA'S RESIGNATION. THE PRIME
MINISTER HAS BEEN CALLED BY THE OPPOSITION TO EXPLAIN HIS
DECISION BEFORE PARLIAMENT; HIS APPEARANCE HAS YET TO BE
SCHEDULED.


5. (U) AMIDST THE ACCUSATIONS AND COUNTER-ACCUSATIONS,
SEVERAL LEADERS, INCLUDING FINI AND CASINI, HAVE TRIED TO
CALM TENSIONS AND RECALL THE UNITY OF PURPOSE AGAINST
TERRORISM REPORTED REF. FINI EVEN REACHED OUT TO CGIL
SECRETARY GENERAL COFFERATTI (THE ONLY UNION WHICH REFUSED

SIPDIS
TO PARTICIPATE IN TALKS WITH THE GOVERNMENT ON LABOR
REFORM),TO WHOM BIAGI REFERRED IN HIS COMMUNICATIONS AS
"CONTRIBUTING TO HIS (BIAGI'S) `CRIMINALIZATION.'" BIAGI
HAD WORRIED THAT COFFERATTI'S RHETORIC AGAINST THE REFORMS
BIAGI WAS DRAFTING ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT MIGHT SPARK
AN ATTACK. HIS CONCERNS BECAME PUBLIC IN THIS RECENT
EPISODE. ACKNOWLEDGING THAT "COFFERRATI IS TO BLAME FOR
CAUSING HARSH SOCIAL TENSIONS," FINI ADDED THAT "THIS SHOULD
NOT AUTHORIZE ANYONE TO `CRIMINALIZE' HIM." CASINI CALLED
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ON HIS COLLEAGUES TO "STOP USING THESE BARBARIC METHODS OF
POLITICAL CONFRONTATION."


6. (SBU) COMMENT: AS RESPECTED COMMENTATOR STEFANO FOLLI
WROTE IN "CORRIERE DELLA SERA," "MINISTER SCAJOLA SLIPPED ON
A BANANA PEEL." FOLLI CONTINUED BY SAYING THIS COULD HAVE
"DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES" FOR THE GOVERNMENT IF NOT HANDLED
PROPERLY. WE THINK THERE IS LITTLE DANGER OF THIS TASTELESS
AND ILL-TIMED REMARK BRINGING DOWN THE BERLUSCONI
GOVERNMENT; THEY STILL HAVE THE VOTES, EVEN IF THE
OPPOSITION CALLS FOR A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE. WE ARE
REMINDED OF THE POLEMICS FOLLOWING LAST JULY'S G-8 SUMMIT
AND THE OPPOSITION'S EFFORTS TO BRING DOWN SCAJOLA, AT A
MINIMUM, IN THE AFTERMATH OF THAT EPISODE. WE PREDICT THAT,
IF ANYTHING, THIS EMBARRASSING AND TACKY EVENT WILL HAVE A
POSSIBLY SHORTER SHELF-LIFE. WHETHER ITALY'S PUBLIC
REPRESENTATIVES, GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION ALIKE, CAN REGAIN
THE HIGH ROAD THEY WALKED FOLLOWING BIAGI'S MURDER IS
ANOTHER QUESTION, ESPECIALLY IN THE UPCOMING SUMMER NEWS
DOLDRUMS. WE HOPE THEY CAN.
SEMBLER

UNCLASSIFIED

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2002ROME03213 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED