Obama has called Renzi to thank him for ‘close partnership’

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday phoned Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who formally resigned after a crushing referendum defeat.

Published: 7 December 2016 08:57 CET

Obama has called Renzi to thank him for 'close partnership'

Obama with Renzi at his final state dinner earlier this year. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP

“The president emphasized that Italy will remain one of the United States' closest and strongest allies and an indispensable partner,” the White House said in a statement.

Obama made the call from Air Force One on a flight from Washington to Tampa, Florida, thanking Renzi “for the close friendship and partnership the leaders enjoyed” during his tenure as prime minister.

The outgoing Democratic president, who will be succeeded by Republican Donald Trump next month, had praised the center-left Renzi's proposed reforms to streamline parliament and the electoral system.

Obama hosted Renzi at his final state dinner at the White House on October 18th.

After Renzi, 41, suffered a crushing defeat in a referendum Sunday on constitutional reform, he presented his resignation to Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Monday.

But Mattarella asked Renzi to postpone his resignation until parliament approves the 2017 budget, in the interest of easing political uncertainty in the country and across Europe.

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The strike comes after Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama — who is close to Meloni — called a top RAI editor to complain about a television report into Italy’s controversial migration deal with his country.

The Usigrai trade union called the strike from May 6 to May 7 saying talks with management had failed to address their concerns.

It cited numerous issues, including staff shortages and contract issues, but in first place was “the suffocating control over journalistic work, with the attempt to reduce RAI to a megaphone for the government”.

It had already used that phrase to object to what critics say is the increasing influence over RAI by figures close to Prime Minister Meloni, who leads Italy’s most right-wing government since World War II.

However, another union of RAI journalists, Unirai, said they would not join what they called a “political” strike, defending the return to “pluralism” at the broadcaster.

Funded in part by a licence fee and with top managers long chosen by politicians, RAI’s independence has always been an issue of debate.

But the arrival in power of Meloni — leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, who formed a coalition with Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party and the late Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing Forza Italia — redoubled concerns.

Tensions erupted at the weekend amid accusations RAI censored a speech by a leading writer criticising Meloni ahead of Liberation Day on April 25, when Italians mark the defeat of Fascism and the Nazis at the end of World War II.

Both RAI’s management and Meloni have denied censorship, and the premier posted the text of the monologue on her social media.

In another twist, Albania’s premier confirmed Thursday he called senior RAI editor Paolo Corsini about an TV report on Sunday into Italy’s plans to build two migration processing centres on Albanian territory.

Rama told La Stampa newspaper the report was “biased” and contained “lies” — adding that he had not raised the issue with Meloni.

The “Report” programme claimed the costs of migrant centres, which are under construction, were already “out of control” and raised questions about criminals benefiting from the project.