Italian senator: Embarrassed of my gov't
Roberto Calderoli, Italian Senate member and formerly the Reforms Minister (in the Berlusconi government), doesn't like Italy's new gov't policy on ME. Tells Ynet: Italy supports Lebanon, Palestinians too much, Israel too little
In the wake of the Lebanon war, Italy came forward as one of the most active and eager diplomatic partners in Europe, hurrying to deploy thousands of troops to UNIFIL. It expressed willingness to mediate on the issue of the kidnapped soldiers and even wants to be one of the nations leading the negotiations with Iran.
But not all Italians support the government's new policy in the Middle East. One of the most colorful opponents in Senator Roberto Calderoli, of the Northern League, formerly Reforms Minister in the Berlusconi government and a controversial right-winger.
Calderoli isn't afraid of provocation. Prominent in the Mohammed caricatures incident, he printed a T-shirt with the cartoon and showed it on a live broadcast as a form of protest. Last week, he again raised a commotion in Italy for allegedly suggesting an unusual birthday gift for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – an atomic bomb on his head.
Monday night, in a phone conversation with Ynet, Calderoli expressed disappointment at the situation in the Middle East pursuant to the Lebanon war, and from the anti-Israeli trend that he has sensed in his government.
Does it seem to you that the Prodi, D'Alema government increased Italian involvement in the Middle East in comparison to other governments? Do you think this involvement is positive?
I think it is dangerous and ambiguous. If we want to arrive at a solution to the ME problem, we can't do so without picking a side. Sadly, up until now, also ambiguously, we seem to have increased support for Palestine, for Lebanon and, even worse, for Syria and Iran, without a clear stance on support for Israelis or Israel.
This was seen especially after the reaction (of Israel to launch air strikes against Lebanon) to the attack. Israel wasn't the initiator; it was attacked by terrorist actions…Likewise, the earlier events in Gaza. It seemed to me that Israel was willing to deal with the Palestinian problem but didn't receive a responsible response from the other side.
In your opinion, can UN Security Resolution 1701 solve the problems on the Israel-Lebanon border?
I don't remember the exact clauses, but there were clauses in the resolution that contradicted one another. The resolution also doesn't solve the root problem – Hizbullah.
You can't cope with a problem when you recognize a militia that's not a sovereign state…and Hizbullah continues to be a state-within-a-state, even with government representatives. It can be said that Hizbullah is operating with Lebanon's permission and, as such, Lebanon must be accountable for their actions."
What do you think Italy and Europe should do about this?
Italy and Europe – I doubt they'll do this, certainly not the current government. Firstly, we must solve the problem of UN representation and UN capability to interfere (to deal with Hizbullah, for example), in order to see that the current situation was meant more to offer a political solution rather than to address world peace.
Certainly the solution must also be political, but not so its unclear which side you're choosing.
What about your suggestion to send an atomic bomb to Tehran?
I said 'atomic', but not 'bomb'. Since Ahmadinejad is so hot to get his hands on atomic energy…Sadly there are those who think it will be used for civilians energy purposes, but we're talking about a nation who is, I think, third in the world in energy resources. It hasn't demonstrated elementary stability, not even enough to hold a water gun.
Were you at all serious?
I believe that offensives like the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq get a lot of people killed but don't really solve the problem. The Cold War led to a solution without killing anyone, because both sides had a nuclear weapon.
However, if the Iranians think they can do whatever they feel like...the Western world must make them understand that its patience is not never-ending.
Do you agree with the American model of 'those who want peace prepare for war'?
I agree with the general decision, but not with the means used to execute it in this case.
Do you think the world is safer after Sept 11?
Definitely not. I see before me a world that will be comprised of mosques if the West continues to behave like today. The situation is much worse than five years ago. Five years ago, there was a reaction, at least a symbolic one, of complete censure for terror.
Today the cards are laid out in such a way that everything wrong with the world is blamed on Israel and the US, when in fact the opposite is true.
Do you have anything to say to Israelis or the Israeli government?
I am embarrassed of my current government. I remember during the rally in Milano, which contained also left and center politicians, I was the only one who held the Israeli flag…They need courage to take a clear stand on the Middle East. We can't zigzag all the time.
Hizbullah is an armed organization not belonging to the state, so what is it? Either it belongs to the nation and then these are regular soldiers and the government is a terrorist, or that they're just gunmen, so there's no such thing as an armed party.
And whoever does accept this and places them in the government – places himself at the same level. And there's D'Alema who went hand in hand with Hizbullah in Lebanon.
And what would you say to that?
Look at your friends and know who you are.
