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| Europe | |
| Heads roll after Libya's cartoon riots | |
| 2006-02-19 | |
| No pun intended *snicker, snicker* Libya has suspended its security minister and other officials, a day after at least 10 people were killed during a demonstration at the Italian consulate in the north eastern city of Benghazi. In Rome, meanwhile, Roberto Calderoli, the Italian reform minister, has resigned, bowing to pressure from government colleagues after Libya blamed his anti-Islamic insults for igniting the demonstration, the most deadly yet of a continuing international A statement from the general secretariat of Libya's parliament on Saturday read: "Security Minister Nasr Mabrouk has been suspended from his duties and taken before an investigating magistrate." The statement added that a national day of mourning would be observed on Sunday to honour "our martyrs". Calderoli, of the The Libyan deaths took place after about 1000 people gathered to protest outside the Roman consulate. Calderoli, who has frequently attacked Islam in recent weeks and once called Muslim immigrants in Italy "Ali Babas" *chortle* , seemed defiant to the last, showing no signs of contrition in a series of newspaper interviews published on Saturday. "I can be sorry for the victims, but what happened in Libya has nothing to do with my T-shirt. The question is different. What's at stake is Western civilisation," the daily La Repubblica quoted him as saying. Yes, but logic and dhimmitude don't mix. Berlusconi-al-Qadhafi talk The al-Qadhafi foundation, headed by the reform-minded son of Muammar al-Qadhafi, the Libyan leader, issued a statement blaming the riot on Calderoli's "provocative and outrageous" actions. And who better to judge "provocative and outrageous" than the Al-Qadaffy foundation? Meanwhile, in a telephone conversation Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, and the Libyan leader agreed that the anti-Italian violence should have no "negative repercussions" for bilateral relations The two leaders had a "long and amicable" discussion focusing on Friday's violence in Benghazi. Minister Gianfranco Fini, the Italian foreign minister, quickly scheduled a visit to Rome's main mosque for later Saturday, saying he wanted "to reaffirm that we respect every religion, and we expect identical respect," according to the ANSA and Apcom news agencies. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, the Italian president and a highly respected voice in the country, issued a statement saying that in Italy, "there is a clear, undisputed policy that reflects the dominant feeling of "Above all, those who have a responsibility in government have to show responsible behaviour," Ciampi said, adding that he was "deeply saddened" by the clashes at Benghazi. Calderoli defies PM In an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Calderoli said he had declined a previous plea to resign from Berlusconi last week, after he threatened to wear the T-shirt. "I'm certainly not changing my mind," he told the paper. Under the Italian constitution, the premier does not have the power to sack ministers. Lunch, on the other hand, can definitely be sacked. In comments reported by another newspaper, Corriere della Sera, Calderoli said he would resign only if Umberto Bossi, the Northern League leader, asked him to do so, and "after receiving a signal from the Islamic world that such a gesture would be useful". Please, oh Islamic world, give us infidels a sign! Calderoli travelled to Bossi's house in northern Italy on Saturday to meet him and Fini, another Northern League minister. Fini, who had earlier appealed to Calderoli to avoid provoking Muslims, blamed his fellow minister for the violence in Libya. "It was predictable that Calderoli's display would trigger reactions in the Arab world," Fini told La Repubblica.
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| Posted by:ryuge |
| #2 "it take the focus off Iran" Which was no doubt one of the main reasons for the entire mess, Bobby. It was obviously a put-up job from the get-go. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-02-19 23:03 |
| #1 The good news about all this fall-del-rahl is that it takes the microscope off Iraq; the bad news is it take the focus off Iran, as well. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2006-02-19 11:45 |