Die Wunder des heiligen Silvio

Wein, Weib und Gesang: Ein Geheimdossier enthüllt, wie Silvio Berlusconi die G 8 im Jahr 2009 auf Vordermann bringen will. Der Clou: Italiens Regierungschef singt selbst.

Eine Beobachtung von Hans-Jürgen Jakobs

Manchmal haben Enthüllungsreporter einfach nur Glück. So wie jüngst in der italienischen Hauptstadt Rom, als einem jungen Journalisten auf der Eckbank eines Lokals im Viertel Trastevere eine mit lila Schutzpapier eingebundene Kladde auffiel, die überschrieben war mit dem Titel: "Amore Mio G 8–Forza Europa“. Sie war hier versehentlich liegengelieben.

ROME (AP) - Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says Italy will host the Group of Eight leaders in July next year at a secluded island venue that he hopes will guarantee security.

He says the three-day summit will start on July 7 on a small island off Sardinia.
The island is La Maddalena, which housed a U.S. Navy support base until February.
Berlusconi says Italy wants to prevent the type of violence that marred the last G8 meeting it hosted in Genoa in 2001 when a protester was killed by police.
Berlusconi added Thursday that security was an issue, «having gone through the traumatic experience in Genoa.

Campaigners have expressed dismay that a policeman acquitted of brutality last month will be in charge of security at next year's G8 summit in Italy.

Franco Gratteri was one of those in charge during the 2001 G8 meeting in Genoa, which was marred by violence.

While he was cleared of related charges, colleagues were convicted.

Im Juli 2009 wird der G8-Gipfel turnusgemäß wieder in Italien stattfinden. Das letzte Mal hatte es in Genua 2001 massive Polizeiübergriffe gegen Demonstranten gegeben. Jetzt zieht Ministerpräsident Berlusconi auf die kleine, gut kontrollierbare Insel Magdalena bei Sardinien und hat einen Plan für das Internet in der Tasche. Nach seinen Vorstellungen sollte es eine internationale Regelung für das Internet geben. Das fehle, sagte Berlusconi während eines Besuchs des Technologieparks der italienischen Post in Rom.

Neben der Beschäftigung mit der Finanzkrise müsse die internationale Regulierung des Internets diskutiert werden. Das sei ein schwieriges Problem, sagte Berlusconi, da die nationale Rechtsprechung in Internetfragen manchmal nicht ausgeübt werden könne. Die G8 sei ein besseres Podium als die Vereinten Nationen, um hier eine Lösung zu finden, weil es bei der UN eine Vielzahl von Staaten gebe, die sich nicht einigen könnten.

ROME, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Italy's presidency of the Group of Eight (G8) next year will be an occasion for "a new global governance" and to create a more structural relationship between G8 countries and emerging powers, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said here Wednesday.

Speaking at a joint meeting of Italy's parliamentary foreign committees, Frattini said the G8 model "should enlarge itself in a flexible manner, involving economic and political players and coordinating with the G20 on economic and financial themes in order to have a complete spectrum" of analysis on global issues.

Frattini said terrorism, nuclear disarmament and the situations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Africa would be on the political agenda, while economic issues to be given priority are reforms to the Bretton Woods system of monetary management, the development of renewable energy sources, the impact of climate change on the economy and food safety.

Italian president and media baron Silvio Berlusconi said today that he would use his country's imminent presidency of the G8 group to push for an international agreement to "regulate the internet".

Speaking to Italian postal workers, Reuters reports Berlusconi said: "The G8 has as its task the regulation of financial markets ... I think the next G8 can bring to the table a proposal for a regulation of the internet."

Italy's G8 presidency begins on January 1. The role is taken by each of the group's members in rotation. The holder country is responsible for organising and hosting the G8's meetings and setting the agenda. Italy's last G8 presidency in 2001, also under Berlusconi, was marred by riots at the annual meeting in Genoa.

Former Italian Home Secretary, Prime Minister and President

The proposed education reform (known as the Gelmini Law, after the current Education Minister) is provoking enormous reaction from students, parents and teachers and many schools and universities have been occupied by protesters in recent days. Two days ago, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi threatened to restore order by sending in the police (which he subsequently denied, despite documentary evidence). The following interview from yesterday's "Quotidiano nazionale" with former Italian President, Francesco Cossiga, is a good indicator of the current mood in the country. (Introduction by Anarkismo.net)

Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini has confirmed that the Italian summit will take place at La Maddalena from July 8 to 10, 2009. (October 8, 2009, ANSA News). Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has hinted that next year's G8 summit may not take place on the small island of La Maddalena as planned. Berlusconi said it is ''possible'' that Italy may change the venue of next year's G8 summit to a different place if the country finds it difficult to set up necessary facilities there, according to Italian reporters, who attended his news conference in Japan. Berlusconi, however, did not specify an alternative candidate site for the 35th summit at the news conference. This is the first time the Italian leader has floated the idea of changing the site of next year's G8 summit from La Maddalena.

«Niemand hat ein Interesse daran, auf Dauer eine neue Gruppe einzurichten»

Auch nach dem Gipfeltreffen der Staats- und Regierungschefs von 20 Industrie- und Schwellenländern hält Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) am G8-Format der führenden Wirtschaftsnationen fest. «Die Bundeskanzlerin will da überhaupt nichts ändern», erfuhr der Tagesspiegel (Dienstagausgabe) aus Merkels Umfeld.

Die führenden Industrie-, Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländer haben sich zu Allianzen zusammengefunden, um auf Gipfeltreffen gemeinsame Probleme zu erörtern.