A FOREIGN MINISTER FOR "AFFAIRS"

There is a an Italian minister,Franco Frattini, with a suave voice, who used to be an extreme left militant, writing on the daily Il Manifesto (left of the Communist Party), and who is now one of the strongest supporters of his boss, Mr. Berlusconi. He is a catholic activist (never missing a Holy Mass in Parliament). He has two medals: one from an little known Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgio whose purpose is the honouring of the Crucifix, the expansion of the Catholic faith and the defense of the Church; the other one from the Vatican itself for "special services provided to the Pope".

He spent some time as EU commissary but, when he left to join Berlusconi again, nobody cried.

He recently stated, with his suave voice, that the "affairs" of his boss are a matter of concern of some Italians only. Never, during his trips, his colleagues mantion anything about the so called affairs to him. Either he has not yet understood the language and hypocritical traditions of diplomacy or he is dumd or he is a liar, or all of them at the same time.

A few days after his declaration, his boss himself complained with some of his advisors that his colleagues in Europe seem to avoid him. And just today we read what US ambassadors to Italy wrote about him (thanks Fod we have Wikileaks) ;

«His frequent blunders and poor choice of words has offended practically every category of Italian citizens and many European leaders... He has damaged the image of the country in Europe and brought ridicule to Italy's reputation in many sectors of the American government". Berlussconi "has become the symbol of the incapacity and ineffectiveness of Italian governments to meet the country's chronic problems: a noncompetitive economic system, decaying infrastructure, growing debt, endemic corruption". (both quitations are from Ambassador Spogli. In many cables from the US Embassy in Rome, Ambassadors quote a militant who had said "Berlusconi tends to make blunders and is a bit of a clown".

But Mr. Frattini ignores all this and tries to convince us that all is OK thanks to Mr. Berlusconi.

He is a real Foreign Minister for Berlusconi's "affairs". Poor Italy

Picture: L'Unione Sarda