Kazakh military plane crashes, all 27 on board killed

ALMATY (Reuters) - A military transport plane crashed in southern Kazakhstan on Tuesday, killing all 27 people on board, the RIA news agency quoted a senior Kazakh emergencies ministry official as saying.

"The plane has burnt up, only some of its fragments remain," RIA quoted the head of the regional emergencies department as saying.

Kazakh TV channel KTK said the plane had disappeared from radar screens at about 1900 local time (1300 GMT) as it was making a descent near the city of Shymkent, the capital of the South Kazakhstan Region.

Kazakhstan's KNB security service said the plane, bound for Shymkent from the capital Astana, belonged to its border troops.

The commander of the country's border guards, Turganbek Stambekov, was among those on board, it said on its site (www.knb.kz). The plane was carrying a crew of seven as well as 20 servicemen.

KTK TV quoted its sources as saying the Antonov An-72 plane had plunged to the ground in bad weather from an altitude of about 800 meters.

It broadcast footage of an eyewitness saying he had heard a loud explosion and had seen flames at the crash site.

(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Additional reporting by Mariya Gordeyeva; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Japan's policy veteran Motegi likely to serve as trade minister: media

TOKYO (Reuters) - Incoming Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to pick policy veteran Toshimitsu Motegi as trade minister, who will also take charge of energy and other key economic policies, media reported on Tuesday.

Motegi, 57, a former policy affairs chief for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), will tackle energy problems after last year's Fukushima nuclear crisis, as well as issues such as the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact, public broadcaster NHK said.

Motegi was a leading member of the LDP's panel tasked with drafting an economic revival plan aimed at tackling the strong yen, deflation and preventing Japanese firms from shifting overseas.

The LDP returned to power in the December 16 election for the lower house, calling for radical monetary easing and big spending on public works.

First elected to parliament in 1993 as a member of a small opposition party, Motegi joined the LDP shortly thereafter and has served posts including parliamentary vice-minister for the trade ministry and senior vice-minister for foreign affairs.

Motegi's formal appointment is likely to be made on December 26, when Abe is expected to be elected as prime minister in parliament and form a new cabinet.

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto)

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syrian refugees face harsh winter in desperate conditions

BAB AL-SALAMEH, Syria (Reuters) - Huddled inside thin plastic tents in a makeshift camp after fleeing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's bombs thousands of refugees say they face a new enemy. "The cold is killing us," many of them say.

Having survived a conflict in which more than 40,000 people are estimated to have been killed, refugees at the Bab al-Salameh camp on the Syrian-Turkish border say the winter is now a bigger threat to them than the violence engulfing their country.

"The situation here is even worse than being at home," said Waad Orfali, a 27-year-old woman, dressed in a pink headscarf, velvet pink gown and slippers, as rain pounded the camp.

"At least in the village there was a doctor," said Orfali, who escaped from the northern village of Marea about two weeks ago after snipers and air strikes forced her and her family to relocate to the relative safety of the camp.

The flimsy tents scattered across the encampment offer scant relief to the thousands of men, women and children facing freezing weather and constant rain, and colder conditions are still to come.

Earlier this month, the United Nations refugee agency said more than half a million Syrian refugees are registered or waiting in other Middle Eastern countries, with about 3,000 new people seeking refugee status and assistance daily.

"I'm three months pregnant and I've been bleeding," said Orfali, who suffered from mouth sores. She said her husband suffered from kidney stones, but that neither had been able to receive medical care at the camp.

"At home there's no water or electricity and it's the same thing here," another woman chimed.

Tents reeked of damp as the rain seeped through, soaking blankets, clothes and rugs, and with no electricity in the camp, children, many wearing a single layer of clothing and slippers with no socks, shivered in the cold.

Mothers complained they received little food. By the afternoon, they said breakfast had not even been distributed. With no running water, lavatories near the mosque stank of rubbish and sewage.

"Tell them Syria's people are full of lice," said Um Ali, a mother of 12, said. She carried her ID papers in plastic to protect them from the rain in the hope that she could use them to get supplies from the camp authorities for her children.

WE JUST WANT THE SLAUGHTER TO STOP

Some refugees here are trying to scrape together a living amid the misery. They set up stands to sell cigarettes, and children zigzag through the tents hawking sweets and chocolate.

IHH, a Turkish relief group, is running the camp. Shawkat Gukman, the IHH coordinator at Bab al-Salameh, said the camp housed about 870 tents and 6,000 people with about 200 people streaming through each day.

Gukman said IHH had not been entirely in charge of running the camp until recently. He said some 5,000 pairs of children's shoes had been given out.

Challenging conditions like a lack of water and electricity made food preparation and distribution particularly challenging, Gukman said.

"The crisis may last for years. It's not clear but the war could last for a longer time."

As the war continues, more Syrians are expected to flee.

The latest estimates indicate that the total number of Syrians who have fled during the conflict has already surpassed the 700,000 refugees that the UNHCR forecast by year-end, though more than 200,000 of them have not registered formally. Another 2.5 million or more are believed to be displaced inside Syria.

Um Ahmed, a mother of five girls and two boys, said she moved to the Bab al-Salameh camp four months ago from the Hanano district of Aleppo.

"When we first came, we were sleeping under the tires of trucks. The sun burned us," she told Reuters in her three-by-four meter tent, where she had lit a coal fire and was grilling onions she said would help fight her children's infections.

Dressed in a purple sweater and red wool skirt, Um Ahmed said she had been a supporter of Assad at the beginning of the conflict, now in its 21st month.

"He said there wouldn't be a drop of blood, and now there's a river of blood. So now I'm the most opposed to Assad after what I've seen with my eyes," she said.

Like many other refugees thrust into dire conditions, Um Ahmed has tried to keep some semblance of a home in her tent. In a vain effort to keep the tent dry, a mop is perched against the tent's corner, and there is a red basin to bathe in. One side of the tent is decorated with the Syrian rebels' flag.

Complaining of chaotic scenes when the camp authorities distribute supplies, she said: "We have too much pride and dignity," to push through queues.

"We don't want money, food or water," she said. "We just want the slaughter to stop. We dream of going back home."

(Editing by Andrew Osborn)

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two killed as passenger plane lands in Myanmar rice field

YANGON (Reuters) - Two people were killed and 10 wounded in northeast Myanmar on Tuesday when a passenger plane missed an airport runway in heavy fog and landed in a rice paddy, state television said.

The pilot of the Air Bagan plane touched down beyond Heho airport in Shan state, killing one passenger and a motorcyclist on the ground, MRTV said.

MRTV had earlier reported the dead passenger was an 11-year-old boy but the airline later confirmed the deceased was a female tour guide.

Four foreigners -- two Americans, a South Korean and a Briton -- and the pilot were among the injured. The plane was carrying 63 passengers, 51 of whom were foreigners.

Air Bagan is one of five airlines operating domestic routes in Myanmar.

Owned by Tay Za, a local tycoon blacklisted by the United States for his alleged links to former military regime, Air Bagan was the country's first privately run carrier when it was established in 2004.

(Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Martin Petty and Daniel Magnowski)

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Former South African president Mandela "much better": Zuma

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela is looking much better after more than two weeks in hospital, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday.

Zuma, who visited Mandela on Christmas Day, said in a statement that doctors were happy with the progress the elder statesman was making.

"We found him in good spirits. He was happy to have visitors on this special day and is looking much better. The doctors are happy with the progress that he is making," said Zuma.

The 94-year-old Nobel Peace laureate has been in hospital in Pretoria for more than two weeks after being admitted for routine tests. He then underwent surgery to remove gallstones.

Mandela, who came to power in historic elections in 1994 after decades struggling against apartheid, remains a symbol of resistance to racism and injustice at home and around the world.

He has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis while in jail as a political prisoner. But this is his longest stay in hospital since he was released from prison in 1990.

He spent time in a Johannesburg hospital in 2011 with a respiratory condition, and again in February this year because of abdominal pains though he was released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing serious.

Zuma, who has just been re-elected as president of the ruling African National Congress party, last week described Mandela's condition as serious.

"The Mandela family truly appreciates all the support they are receiving from the public. That is what keeps them going at this difficult time," said Zuma.

Periodic statements from the presidency continue to stress that the veteran politician is responding to treatment. No date has been given for his release from hospital.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison, including 18 years on the windswept Robben Island off Cape Town.

After his release, he used his popularity to push for reconciliation between whites and blacks. This reconciliation is the bedrock of the post-apartheid "Rainbow Nation".

Sworn in as South Africa's first black president in 1994, Mandela stepped down in 1999 after one term in office and has largely been absent from public life for the last decade.

His fragile health has prevented him from making any public appearances in South Africa, though he has continued to receive high-profile domestic and international visitors, including former U.S. president Bill Clinton in July.

(Reporting by Sherilee Lakmidas; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Afghans seek policewoman's motive for killing U.S. contractor

KABUL (Reuters) - An Iranian-Afghan policewoman who killed a U.S. contractor at the police headquarters in Kabul may have been motivated by a personal grudge, said security officials, who were also probing possible Taliban or al Qaeda involvement.

The officials said the woman named as Narges seemed wracked with remorse over the shooting. They said she held an Iranian passport but offered no evidence that Iran may have orchestrated the attack.

She arrived at police headquarters on Monday morning and headed to a bathroom where she loaded a pistol and hid it under her long scarf, they said. She then approached the American police trainer as he was walking to a canteen and shot him in the ribs.

"After she shot the American, she pointed her pistol to other policemen who rushed to arrest her. But her weapon jammed," one top police official told Reuters. "Her prime target could have been senior officials in the compound."

It appeared to be the first time that a female member of Afghanistan's security forces had carried out such an attack.

At least 52 members of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have been killed this year by Afghans wearing police or army uniforms, in so-called insider attacks.

Also known as green-on-blue attacks, the incidents have undermined trust between coalition and Afghan forces who are under mounting pressure to contain the Taliban insurgency before most NATO combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014.

"This was a very organized shooting," said the top police official. "There must have been bigger hands involved... At this stage, we can only say that she could have been brainwashed either by the Taliban or al Qaeda."

Virginia-based DynCorp International described the killing of its employee, police mentor Joseph Griffin, 49, as a tragedy.

"The loss of any team member is tragic but to have this happen over the holidays makes it seem all the more unfair," the company said on its website.

IRANIAN PASSPORT

There had been no indication that Narges posed any threat during her six years on the job and officials had believed she was dedicated to improving security in her troubled country.

They invested in the mother of three, sending her on a law enforcement training course in Egypt and giving her responsibility for promoting women's rights in the police force, senior police officials told Reuters.

"She is a religious person with a clean background. That's why we didn't have surveillance on her," said the top police official. "It's very difficult to have surveillance on thousands of people in the police force to see who is doing what."

Authorities were examining her phone records on Tuesday. At a press conference, Interior Ministry officials presented what they said was her Iranian passport, which identified her as Narges Rezaeimomenabad.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said she had obtained an Afghan national identity card when she married her husband, an Afghan who works in the ministry's criminal investigation department.

"She is in a terrible condition now and crying, sighing deeply and asking herself why she did it," said the top police official. "She keeps saying 'shoot me dead'."

(Additional reporting by Mirwais Harooni and Miriam Arghandiwal; Editing by Tom Pfeiffer)

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria envoy seeks peace as clashes rage

BEIRUT (Reuters) - International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi pursued mediation efforts in Damascus on Tuesday, but there was no pause in the bloodletting as Syrian Christians marked a bleak Christmas Day with prayers for peace.

"We are here in a cave that symbolizes Syria right now," said a priest standing beside a nativity scene in a grotto.

"It is cold here but the door is open to all refugees," he told Syrian state TV. "Amid the hunger, cold and deprivation, we still have hope for peace and love for our country."

More than 44,000 Syrians have been killed since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad erupted 21 months ago, igniting an increasingly sectarian conflict that broadly pits a Sunni Muslim majority against Assad's Alawite minority.

Christians, many of whom have been reluctant to join what they see as an Islamist-tinged insurgency, feel threatened.

Bishop John Kawak, speaking on state TV, said the Christmas holiday was "a symbol for the rebirth of the nation". He condemned "terrorism", the government's term for the rebellion.

Brahimi met some dissidents who are tolerated by Assad but rejected by the mainstream opposition and by rebels fighting to oust him, a day after he held talks with the Syrian president.

There was no word on any progress in the U.N.-Arab League' envoy's drive to end violence that has intensified in recent months as Assad uses airpower and artillery against rebel gains.

Raja Naser, secretary general of the National Coordination Body, said after meeting Brahimi that the envoy planned a week of meetings in Damascus and would stay until Sunday.

"There is still a lot of concern but there is also great hope that these meetings with other Syrian officials will result in some agreements or positive developments," he said.

But most opposition groups appear frustrated with Brahimi's quest for a deal on a transitional government. He has not clarified any role for Assad, whose foes say he must simply go, arguing that too much blood has been shed for any other outcome.

GULF PLEA

Gulf Arab leaders, who have long called for Assad's removal and some of whom have helped the rebels with guns and money, urged swift world action to halt the "massacres" and violations of international law in Syria.

The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported clashes and government shelling in hotspots across the country, including towns on the eastern outskirts of Damascus.

Abu Nidal, a spokesman for the Rebel Military Council in Damascus, said fighters had killed the head of a local security branch in the capital's suburb of Jaramana, home to a large Christian and Druze population.

In his Christmas message to the world on Tuesday, Pope Benedict encouraged Syrians not to lose hope for peace.

"May peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenseless and reaps innocent victims," he said.

"I appeal for an end to the bloodshed, easier access for the relief of refugees and the displaced, and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict."

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled abroad to escape the daily violence. Those who remain face severe shortages of food, fuel and other essentials as winter weather takes a grip.

Syrian activists offered a message of solidarity with Christians despite rising tensions in central Hama province, where rebels have demanded that Christian villages let them enter to force out the army and pro-Assad "shabbiha" militias.

"We say to the Christians, you are our brothers and our beloved, and your holiday is our holiday," said Abu Faisal, a Hama activist who posted a Christmas message on the Internet.

"The rebels are surrounding (the Christian town) Muhardeh to get rid of Assad's soldiers and shabbiha, but we have not forgotten your honorable stance when you took care of our refugees when the army entered Hama," he said.

"We will not accept that you are targeted by hatred, you are our brothers and our friends."

(Additional reporting by Philip Pullela in Vatican City and Asma Alsharif in Manama)

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gulf Arabs decry Iran "interference" in region

MANAMA (Reuters) - Six U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states demanded on Tuesday that Iran end what they called interference in the region, reiterating a long-held mistrust of their main rival.

The Islamic Republic denies trying to subvert Saudi Arabia and its wealthy Gulf neighbors.

A communique issued at the end of a two-day summit of the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also urged action to halt mass killings and violations of international law in Syria.

The oil-producing GCC states wield influence out of proportion to their sparse populations due in part to global energy and investment links, generous international aid and Saudi Arabia's role as home to Islam's two holiest sites.

"The council expressed its rejection and condemnation of the continuing Iranian interference in the affairs of the Gulf Cooperation Council's states and called on Iran to stop these policies," the communique said.

On the conflict in Syria, the statement, read out by GCC Secretary-General Abdulatif al-Zayani, added: "We ask the international community for serious and swift moves to stop these massacres and these severe attacks".

Kuwait said it would host an international humanitarian donor conference for Syria in late January, amid concern for millions of Syrians suffering war, homelessness and winter cold.

"LOTS OF MEDDLING"

Gulf Arab leaders have long called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, and in November the GCC recognized a newly-formed opposition coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

The communique did not elaborate on Iran, but the most common Gulf Arab complaint about alleged Iranian meddling in the region relates to Bahrain, which has repeatedly accused Tehran of interference in its internal politics.

Iran sees the Gulf as its own backyard and believes it has a legitimate interest in expanding its influence there.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa told reporters Iran posed a "very serious threat".

"Politically, (there is) lots of meddling in the affairs of GCC states; an environmental threat to our region from the technology used inside nuclear facilities; and there is of course the looming nuclear program," he said, referring to Iran's disputed atomic work.

"So the threat level is quite high, but we are ready if faced with circumstances that require action."

While not racked by disturbances on the scale of Syria or Egypt, Bahrain has been volatile since pro-democracy protests led by its Shi'ite Muslim majority erupted last year.

Scattered smoke plumes rose from Bahrain's Sitra and Sanabis districts on Tuesday, apparently caused by youths burning tires, but no major demonstrations were reported by activists.

Bahrain's Sunni Muslim rulers brought in Saudi and United Arab Emirates forces last year to help quell the protests, and Shi'ite power Iran condemned the move, saying it could lead to regional instability. Bahrain has accused Iran of being behind the unrest. Tehran denies this.

GCC FORCE LONG SEEN AS INEFFECTIVE

Bahrain's Shi'ites say they are marginalized politically and economically, a charge the government denies. It has rejected the protesters' main demand for an elected government.

The summit statement said the GCC would set up a unified military command to tighten defense cooperation but offered few details of a project long prey to sensitivities about sovereignty. Security in the waterway, through which 40 percent of the world's seaborne oil exports passes, has been dominated for decades by the United States.

But uprisings against long-standing governments across the Middle East and rivalry with Iran over the conflict in Syria have stirred calls among Gulf Arabs to speed up long-stymied efforts to integrate their own foreign and security policies.

The GCC said it had "supported the creation of a unified military command that organizes and plans and leads the ground, naval and air forces."

The communique did not elaborate. But Mustafa Alani, a security analyst, told Reuters that he understood the idea was to have a standing command rather than a functioning one, and that it would only operate in times of crisis.

The GCC already has a pan-GCC military force -- the 9,000-strong Peninsula Shield, created in 1986 and based in Saudi Arabia. It took part in the 1991 Gulf war and was deployed in Kuwait during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

But the Saudi-based force is widely seen as ineffective. Gulf Arab states have faced a host of obstacles to military integration, including a lack of common equipment, their own reliance on their U.S. ally and concern among some states about potential Saudi dominance of any joint military effort.

(Reporting by Asma Alsharif; Writing by William Maclean; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt expected to pass constitution; currency limits imposed

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt is expected to announce on Tuesday that voters approved a new Islamist-backed constitution, and the government slapped limits on carrying cash abroad to save the economy from collapse after weeks of street violence and political disarray.

President Mohamed Mursi, an Islamist elected this year after a 2011 revolution toppled long-serving autocrat Hosni Mubarak, has been accused by liberal, leftist and Christian opponents of ramming through a basic law mixing religion with politics.

Mursi says the charter has sufficient guarantees of minority rights, and that quickly enacting it will bring an end to the uncertainty and unrest plaguing Egypt since Mubarak's ouster in the wave of revolts across the Middle East and North Africa.

The referendum result appears to be in little doubt, and opposition groups which marched for weeks against the new charter did not announce plans for any major demonstrations to mark the official announcement.

Unofficial tallies from Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood showed the charter was approved by a 64 percent majority. The electoral commission will announce the official result at 1700 GMT.

In a move aimed at preventing capital flight and a potential bank run, the government banned people from carrying more than $10,000 in foreign currency cash in or out of the country.

A growing sense of crisis has gripped Egypt's polarized society, with a rush by Egyptians to take out savings from banks compounding worries about the future of its battered economy. On Monday, Standard and Poor's cut Egypt's long-term credit rating.

Hours ahead of the results announcement, Prime Minister Hisham Kandil told the nation of 83 million the government was committed to taking steps to heal the economy.

"The main goals that the government is working towards now is plugging the budget deficit, and working on increasing growth to boost employment rates, curb inflation, and increase the competitiveness of Egyptian exports," he said.

The government says its opponents are contributing to the economic crisis by prolonging the state of unrest. Mursi's opponents say by pushing through the contentious text he has made it harder to build a consensus needed for economic reform.

The central bank said on Monday it would take steps to "safeguard" bank deposits, without giving any details. Some Egyptians have withdrawn cash from accounts out of concern that the authorities might freeze deposits. Rumors are rife.

"I have been hearing that the central bank is going to take over all our bank deposits to pay wages for government employees given the current deteriorating economic situation," said Ayman Osama, father of two young children.

He said he had taken out the equivalent of about $16,000 from his account this week and planned to withdraw more, adding that he had also told his wife to buy more gold jewellery.

"I am not going to put any more money in the bank and neither will many of the people I know," he said.

It was not immediately possible to say how much people were withdrawing, with one senior banker saying there was not enough information available to make an estimate.

CRISIS MODE

"This is a political, economic and security crisis which requires serious work for the interests of Egypt," opposition leader Amr Moussa wrote on his Facebook page.

If the "yes" vote is confirmed, a parliamentary election will follow in about two months, setting the stage for yet another electoral battle between the surging Islamists and their fractious liberal and leftist opponents.

The referendum will be the Islamists' third electoral victory since the fall of Mubarak, after parliamentary and presidential elections. However, secularist and liberal opposition members hope they can organize better this time.

The opposition says the constitution, crafted mostly by Mursi's Islamist allies, fails to guarantee personal freedoms and rights for women and minorities. The government denies this.

Hossam El-Din Ali, a 35-year-old newspaper vendor in central Cairo, said he agreed the new constitution would help bring some political stability but like many others he feared the possible economic austerity measures lying ahead.

"People don't want higher prices. People are upset about this," he said. "There is recession, things are not moving. But I am wishing for the best, God willing."

Without broad support, Mursi will find it hard to implement reforms needed to secure a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.

Shortly before the referendum, Mursi introduced hikes on the sales tax on a range of goods and services from alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and mobile phone calls to automobile licenses and quarrying permits. However, he withdrew them within hours under criticism from his opponents and the media.

(Additional reporting by Patrick Werr and Tamim Elyan; Writing by Maria Golovnina; Editing by Peter Graff)

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope gives advice as Italians prepare for bitter campaign

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict sent a political Christmas greeting to Italians on Tuesday as they head into an election campaign expected to be brutal and bitter: think, cooperate for the common good and don't discard values when making big choices.

The pope, in his Christmas greetings in 65 languages, said in his special message to Italians that he hoped the spirit of the day would "make people reflect, favor the spirit of cooperation for the common good and lead to a reflection on the hierarchy of values when making the most important of choices".

Italy holds national elections on Feb 24-25 to choose a new parliament and a new government.

Given that Italy's Catholic Church has turned its back on former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi - who is trying to make a comeback even though his previous terms were mired in sex scandals and judicial woes - Benedict's words could be far less general and casual than they appear at first glance.

"It's not a specific endorsement for (Prime Minister Mario) Monti but it comes pretty close, given the well-known esteem the outgoing prime minister enjoys (at the Vatican)," the Italian news agency Ansa said of the pope's words.

Monti has urged Italians to join a debate on their country's future. He declared his availability to lead a reform-minded centrist alliance to seek a second term to complete the economic reform program begun when he took office just over a year ago.

He may yet stay on the sidelines, outside elected office, but still exercising substantial influence over a new centrist grouping that could at the very least help shape the agenda of the next government.

The Church has been embarrassed by the scandals surrounding Berlusconi but at the same time fears the unknown of what a leftist government might do on issues such as gay marriage and euthanasia.

SOBER AND STEADY

The former EU Commissioner - once labeled Supermario for his effectiveness in the job - goes to mass every Sunday with his wife of 40 years and has impressed the Vatican with his calmness, sobriety and what the Church sees as a genuine desire to fix Italy's economic problems and avoid social unrest of the kind seen in Greece.

Significantly, one of the ministers in Monti's outgoing technocrat government is Andrea Riccardi, founder of the internationally prestigious Catholic peace and charity group, the Sant' Egidio Community.

Riccardi is very influential among Catholics in Italy and could help deliver the Catholic vote for Monti or anyone else who promises to continue his policy of economic reform.

Italy's Catholic Church used to support Silvio Berlusconi as a bulwark against leftist governments. But it has made it clear to Berlusconi that this time there will be no blessing.

In its reaction to Berlusconi's decision to return to politics, Famiglia Cristiana, an influential Catholic magazine with one of Italy's largest weekly circulations, likened him to a "dinosaur" who could throw "the whole country into chaos".

The magazine accused him of selling Italians a mirage and trying to lure them with populist promises, such as the abolition of property taxes on primary residences.

Monti, demonstrating the kind of sobriety the Church says Italy needs, has said no one loves taxes but if the property levy is abolished for opportunistic electoral reasons, the move would throw accounts so out of whack that future governments would have to re-introduce it at a higher rate.

Berlusconi's adversaries accuse him of wanting to return to front-line politics to protect his business interests and regain partial and temporary immunity in trials for corruption and paying for sex with a minor.

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, head of the Italian Bishops Conference, has made it clear where he stands on the issue.

"I am shocked by the irresponsibility of people who want to look after their own affairs while the house is still on fire," Bagnasco said.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Patrick Graham)

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More