Italian Government scrutinising accord with Tunisia
ROME, Italy, March 29, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The accord with Tunisia resulting from a mission to Tunis in recent days by Ministers Franco Frattini and Roberto Maroni, will be scrutinised by the Council of Ministers meeting called for tomorrow at the seat of the government in Rome [Palazzo Chigi]. Minister Frattini has urged the Tunisian government to respect pledges, and Italian ambassador to Tunisia Pietro Benassi had a series of meetings with representatives of the government on the central theme of the accord with which Tunisia promises to stem the tide of illegal immigration toward Italy. In the meantime, Vice President of the European Commission Antonio Tajani relaunched the idea of a “€10 billion Marshall Plan” for North Africa, and underlined that “the long-term strategy has to be viewed through the eyes of the African people. First of all, Tajani added, local business persons need to be supported, as well as joint ventures. The Small Business Act that we have adopted for Europe is our model.” At the 19th conference of African Ministers of Industry planned for tomorrow in Algiers, “I will call for the appointment of a Mr. SME Africa as interlocutor to his European counterpart”. Tajani pointed out that Africa “is Europe’s problem. Our objective must be to facilitate new democratic regimes: we Europeans, Italians first and foremost, have a greater interest than anyone else in African growth. Not least because pressing behind the foment in North Africa is that of Sub-Saharan countries, and if we have 5,000 immigrants today, we risk millions down the road—a problem that does not regard China, Russia and the United States, i.e. the other countries to which the Africans will turn in the absence of a European strategy”.
SOURCE
Italy – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
