Small Italian town braces for possibility
of hosting NATO ministers meeting
Story and photos by Ward
Sanderson, Naples bureau
Sleepy Pozzuoli, Italy,
may well be the site of next month's NATO ministers meeting, meaning potential delays for
troops commuting to nearby U.S. Navy and NATO bases. |
NAPLES, Italy — Italian officials plan to meet Friday to decide the venue for next
month’s NATO ministers meeting, and insiders believe it will likely be Pozzuoli, the
sleepy maritime town outside Naples — and just down the road from the U.S.
Navy’s Agnano facility and Allied Forces Southern Europe.
Less likely spots still on the table include the AFSouth headquarters itself, or an
alliance naval facility on the island of Nisida.
Wherever they take place, the talks planned for Sept. 26 and 27 cause even supporters
to furrow their brows over security.
Military officials haven't announced how they will deal with the meeting, which
threatens to draw thousands of peaceful protesters and irksome anarchists alike. And while
some Italian authorities promise calm, others doubt the government can quench violence
following riots last month in Genoa and earlier this year in Naples.
The Group of Eight meeting in Genoa ended with one man's death. And in March, 20,000
protesters took to downtown Naples to denounce the Global Forum meeting there and its
theme of "e-government." At least 90 people, many of them police, were injured
in clashes.
Now activists promise "direct and extreme" action against the NATO talks.
Fearing more mayhem, the mayor of Naples, Rosa Russo Jervolino, publicly asked Italy to
cancel or postpone the event. It appears she’ll get her way, sort of, since Pozzuoli
is another city within the Naples province.
The Naples suburb of
Pozzuoli is being considered as an alternative site for the NATO ministers meeting after
Naples' mayor asked for a change of venue for fear of anti-globalization protests. |
Other politicians believe the NATO get-together is a chance for Italy to prove its
competency after heavy-handed police reactions during the G-8 summit. On the other hand,
they also wish to prove protesters can’t cow them into canceling international
confabs.
"[Prime Minister Silvio] Berlusconi’s government wants to strengthen its
relationship with the states within NATO, and with the American government in
particular," said Francesco Maione, a member of Italy’s parliament from the
greater Naples region, Campania. "After what happened in Genoa, this is a signal
… the government wants good relations and to prove there is no sign of
weakness."
Maione — a member of Berlusconi’s conservative Forza Italia party — said
the minister of the interior promises heavy security. If held in Pozzuoli, the meeting
would likely happen inside an Italian air force academy compound, complete with helicopter
pad in case ministers needed an escape.
"The academy is a very secure place. There is no chance to get into it,"
Maione said. "I really believe everything will be under control."
Pozzuoli’s mayor isn’t so sure.
"I did not get reassurance from the government about [dealing with] the threat of
damage to the city of Pozzuoli," Mayor Vincenzo Figliolia said.
Figliolia generally supports holding the meeting in his town, but demands a security
strategy first. He believes that if things go well, the meeting could give Pozzuoli a
chance to show off its ancient architectural wealth, such as its Roman amphitheater.
"Pozzuoli will be brought into the international view."
About 20,000 protestors
took to the streets of downtown Naples in March, denouncing the Global Forum being held
there. Similar protests could come in September at the NATO ministers summit meeting. |
A U.S. Navy security deputy said she could not comment on the event’s impact, and
base spokesmen could not be reached. Earlier this month about 100 U.S. Navy security
personnel brushed up on crowd control tactics.
Maj. Tim Dunne, a spokesman for AFSouth, said he expected the base to run as normal
during the meeting.
A NATO spokesman in Brussels said alliance troops would not be involved with deterring
riots.
"We are not in charge of security, that is up to the Italians," spokesman
Francois Le Blevennec said. "We are very confident in the local government to provide
adequate security."
He described the event as informal, a chance for a "free exchange of information
on a variety of subjects" without the binding constraints of issuing formal
documents.
"It’s a good opportunity to discuss things like the Balkans and other
peacekeeping operations, and weapons and other military equipment required by NATO."
Both NATO and Italian authorities say they have nothing against protests, only
violence.
"Our concern is that some of [the protesters] are not protesting anything-they mix
with peaceful protesters and cause problems," Le Blevennec said.
One Pozzuoli city councilman had hard words for the throngs threatening the meeting,
and possibly his town.
"It’s not possible to give up an international meeting like this because of
protesters," Alfonso Trincone said. "This is the power of the world. If we back
out of a meeting like this, it will be like losing a war."
Staff writer Keith Boydston contributed to this report.
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