Italy minister asked to quit after Libya clashes
ROME, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Italy's Reforms Minister Roberto Calderoli resisted calls to resign early on Saturday following deadly clashes in Libya over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that he had made into T-shirts.
About 10 people were killed on Friday trying to storm the Italian consulate in Benghazi, the only Western diplomatic mission in the eastern Libyan city, Italy's ambassador to Tripoli said.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi publicly demanded Calderoli step down on Friday, but acknowledged that he did not have the power under Italy's constitution to force the far-right minister out of office.
The episode has embarrassed Berlusconi ahead of April elections in which he wants to portray himself as a force of moderation within the centre-right. It also follows years of warming relations with Libya, which Rome once ruled as a colony.
Calderoli, a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, said he would step down if it would help build dialogue "between the Western world and the Islamic world".
"I will do it the second after I have had a sign from the Islamic world that my action could be useful," he told Italy's ANSA news agency.
But he did not resign, signalling the possibility of drawn out fight that could benefit Italy's centre-left opposition ahead of the April 9-10 ballot.
Centre-left leader Romano Prodi, whose lead over Berlusconi had been narrowing in recent opinion polls, seized on the events as proof of extremism within the centre-right House of Freedom coalition.
"It should not have waited until we were forced to count the dead to take action," Prodi said. He added that asking Caderoli to step down was "the least" the government could do.
PROTEST
Weeks of sometimes violent protests by Muslims across the world against the cartoons have triggered fears of a clash of civilisations between the West and Islam. Muslims believe images of the Prophet are forbidden.
But Calderoli proudly wore the images on Italian state television this week, saying his T-shirt was a "battle for freedom".
The stone-throwing protesters in Libya set fire to the Danish flag and cars and clashed with police as they attempted to storm the Italian consulate in Benghazi. They set a fire on the building's first floor.
Italy's Ambassador to Tripoli, Francesco Trupiano, acknowledged Calderoli's T-shirt may have played a role in the protests, but stopped short of blaming him outright.
"The origin of the protest is the cartoons. But obviously I can't rule out that the initiatives of a government minister ... may have influenced (the crowd) by agitating spirits," Trupiano said.
About 10 people were killed on Friday trying to storm the Italian consulate in Benghazi, the only Western diplomatic mission in the eastern Libyan city, Italy's ambassador to Tripoli said.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi publicly demanded Calderoli step down on Friday, but acknowledged that he did not have the power under Italy's constitution to force the far-right minister out of office.
The episode has embarrassed Berlusconi ahead of April elections in which he wants to portray himself as a force of moderation within the centre-right. It also follows years of warming relations with Libya, which Rome once ruled as a colony.
Calderoli, a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, said he would step down if it would help build dialogue "between the Western world and the Islamic world".
"I will do it the second after I have had a sign from the Islamic world that my action could be useful," he told Italy's ANSA news agency.
But he did not resign, signalling the possibility of drawn out fight that could benefit Italy's centre-left opposition ahead of the April 9-10 ballot.
Centre-left leader Romano Prodi, whose lead over Berlusconi had been narrowing in recent opinion polls, seized on the events as proof of extremism within the centre-right House of Freedom coalition.
"It should not have waited until we were forced to count the dead to take action," Prodi said. He added that asking Caderoli to step down was "the least" the government could do.
PROTEST
Weeks of sometimes violent protests by Muslims across the world against the cartoons have triggered fears of a clash of civilisations between the West and Islam. Muslims believe images of the Prophet are forbidden.
But Calderoli proudly wore the images on Italian state television this week, saying his T-shirt was a "battle for freedom".
The stone-throwing protesters in Libya set fire to the Danish flag and cars and clashed with police as they attempted to storm the Italian consulate in Benghazi. They set a fire on the building's first floor.
Italy's Ambassador to Tripoli, Francesco Trupiano, acknowledged Calderoli's T-shirt may have played a role in the protests, but stopped short of blaming him outright.
"The origin of the protest is the cartoons. But obviously I can't rule out that the initiatives of a government minister ... may have influenced (the crowd) by agitating spirits," Trupiano said.
posted by Marko at 2/18/2006 05:31:00 AM
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