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POLITICS

Italy PM says Brexit talks need not be ‘destructive’

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday there was no need for "destructive" negotiations on Britain's withdrawal from the EU, after talks with Prime Minister Theresa May.

Italy PM says Brexit talks need not be 'destructive'
Photo: Toby Melville/AFP

Just weeks before the British leader is expected to start the formal process of Brexit, Gentiloni spoke in conciliatory terms about a divorce that has already sparked harsh words on both sides.

“We are aware of the fact that the negotiations will not be easy,” Gentiloni said at a joint press conference at May's Downing Street office.

“We also know, and this will be certainly the Italian attitude, that we need to show a constructive and friendly approach.

“There is absolutely no point in having a destructive negotiation between the EU and the UK.”

The two leaders discussed the issue of the post-Brexit status of EU citizens living in Britain, alongside the question of migration into Europe, counter-terrorism and the challenge of Russia.

May has drawn criticism for refusing to guarantee the rights of Europeans in Britain, but has argued that she must first ensure reciprocal assurances for Britons living elsewhere in the EU.

She said: “When I trigger Article 50 I will make clear that I want this issue to be addressed at an early stage of the negotiations.”

May has said she wants to activate Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty, which starts two years of exit negotiations, by the end of March.

British MPs on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to support a bill empowering May to begin the Brexit process, and the legislation will now move to the unelected upper House of Lords.

But MPs rejected an attempt to amend the bill to include a guarantee for EU citizens.

Gentiloni said: “We have to reassure our citizens, Italians living in Britain and Britons living in Italy, that their rights will be respected and there will be what we call a reciprocal treatment.”

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TERRORISM

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy was to increase surveillance in busy areas ahead of the Easter holidays and following the bombing of a Moscow concert hall, ministers agreed on Monday.

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy’s national committee for public security, chaired by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, on Monday said anti-terrorism monitoring in Italy must be strengthened ahead of the Easter holidays, with more surveillance to be carried out at popular tourist spots and at “sensitive sites”.

The committee agreed on “the importance of continuing monitoring activity, including online, by police and intelligence forces for the identification of possible risk situations” in Italy, reported news agency Ansa.

The security meeting was convened following the terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday where armed men opened fire and set the building ablaze, killing at least 133 people.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had stressed to the public on Sunday that Italy faced “no concrete risk” and said the country’s security and law enforcement services were “always on the alert to prevent any attack.”

“During the Easter holidays you will need to be very careful. We will always do the utmost to ensure the safety of citizens and tourists,” Tajani said, speaking on national broadcaster Rai’s current affairs show Restart.

READ ALSO: Terror alerts: Should I be worried about travelling to Italy?

The fight against terrorism “has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine,” the minister continued.

“We support Ukraine” as an invaded country in which international law has been violated, he said, “but as the Italian government we have expressed our condemnation of the attack [in Moscow] and closeness to the families of the victims and the survivors”.

Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano said on the same programme that the main terrorist threat Italy faced at the moment was mainly from “lone wolves” and “not so much from organised groups.”

“I believe that a group like the one that acted in the Moscow attack, which must have been trained and had logistical support, would be intercepted sooner in Italy,” he said.

“The most worrying threat” in Italy was online recruitment, he said, noting that propaganda was closely monitored.

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