Tuesday 22 March 2011

Nato Rules. OK

Everyone is agreed that the command structure of the Allied implementation of Resolution 1973 will be that of Nato according to the Italian media.  President Napolitano had stated that Nato command was essential and appropriate.  Italy was otherwise considering setting up its own command over its bases.

President Obama has squared the Turks, the French have backed down, the UK was in favour all along.  Germany has withdrawn its forces from Nato Mediterranean operations said the Ministry of Defence in Berlin - that's two frigates and 550 men plus another two ships.  The Note didn't say if they would leave the Mediterranean.

2 comments:

gyg3s said...

Any speculation as to why the delay?

hatfield girl said...

Is there a delay? Berlusconi would dearly like to end the bombing phase and play a leading diplomatic role in a settlement with Gadaffi, who he believes will be the interlocutor in any diplomatic initiative. This for two reasons, holding his shaky governing coalition together - the Northern Leagues are determinedly siding with the German position on all this and insisting as well that the refugees should be stopped or spread across Europe not just allowed to land in Italy and stay there, and because there are a lot of mafia interests tied up between Libya and Italy (and Russia for that matter).

He can't do this because the President and the Parliament require that Italy act with the Allies. The strains on the Berlusconi government are near intolerable at the moment, and rendering him very vulnerable, apart from his bunga bunga problems, the Mills case and a couple of others coming back again. He's allowed to stay for a bit because Italy doesn't want to have a government crisis in the midst of all this, but all this is going to be the straw that broke the camel's back (boom boom).

Italians are simply furious that a war is being fought in the Med.