Berlusconi asked to form government
Silvio Berlusconi was given the green light on Friday by Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi to form a new government.
??? ROME, April 22 (Xinhuanet) — Silvio Berlusconi was given the green light on Friday by Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi to form a new government.
??? Berlusconi told reporters after a 60-minute meeting with Ciampi that he had received the president’s mandate to form a new executive, averting the need for snap elections.
??? The center-right leader said he hoped his new administration would be sworn in as early as Saturday.
??? Berlusconi said the necessary parliamentary confidence vote in his second government would take place early next week.
??? He also said his restyled program would focus on “relaunching businesses, defending the buying power of families and a plan containing concrete initiatives for the south with the creation of new jobs.”
??? Berlusconi resigned two days ago after almost four years in power.
??? His resignation was aimed at appeasing disgruntled allies in his four-party coalition which are pushing for a major policy overhaul following the center right’s crushing defeat in local elections this month.
??? Berlusconi returns to power with the same allies but some modifications to his cabinet and program in a bid to woo back voters before next year’s general election.
??? Berlusconi holds the record as Italy’s longest-serving postwar prime minister and longed to become the first Italian prime minister to serve out a full, uninterrupted five-year term.
??? He had hoped to resolve the coalition crisis with a limited cabinet reshuffle and has already indicated that his new government will entail very few changes.
??? Political observers expect a small number of technical ministers with no formal party affiliations to be sacrificed, including Girolamo Sirchia who held the health portfolio.
??? Sirchia could be replaced by Francesco Storace, a senior National Alliance (AN) official who has just lost his bid for re-election as the regional government chief of Lazio around Rome.
??? Antonio Marzano, a Forza Italia representative who held the production activities portfolio, could also be ousted in favor of an AN official.
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?? www.chinaview.cn
Berlusconi asked to form government
April 22, 2005
ROME, Italy — Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said the country’s president has asked him to form a new government.
Berlusconi made the statement Friday after meeting President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
He must now submit a list of ministers to the president and be sworn in, which he said could occur as soon as Saturday. Berlusconi also said he expected to go before parliament for a confidence vote next week.
The conservative leader said the government’s new platform would focus on aiding Italy’s underdeveloped south and financially pressed families — as demanded by some of his political allies, including the powerful National Alliance party.
Berlusconi resigned from the prime ministership Wednesday, sparking political consultations among Ciampi and other politicians.
Up until Wednesday, Berlusconi had led Italy’s longest-serving government since World War II.
However, he had been under increasing pressure to resign after his Forza Italia party lost 11 of 13 regional elections — prompting the the Union of Christian Democrats, a coalition party, to quit the government.
Berlusconi’s popularity has declined as the Italian economy has slipped and opposition to Italian involvement in the U.S.-led war in Iraq has increased.
Berlusconi, a staunch ally of U.S. President George Bush, said last month Italy’s 3,000 troops in Iraq may begin a partial withdrawal this fall.
The country’s contingent is the third-largest force among U.S. allies in Iraq, behind Britain and South Korea. Twenty-eight Italians have died in the conflict — 21 military personnel, six civilians and one intelligence officer.
In his speech Wednesday, Berlusconi said: “What is happening is natural, and I don’t want to dramatize artificially a very complicated situation.” But he pledged to form a new government that will serve as a “unifying force.”
Berlusconi resigns amid crisis
April 20, 2005
ROME, Italy (CNN) — Caught in a political crisis and facing a vote of no confidence in the Senate, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has handed in his resignation to Italian President Carlo Ciampi after telling senators he planned to form a new government with different coalition partners.
Berlusconi’s office confirmed Wednesday he had resigned. Ciampi’s office was expected to issue a statement soon.
In an address to senators, Berlusconi recalled the challenges his government has faced over the past four years, including international terrorism following the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, and said he was proud of the way those challenges have been handled.
Now, the country is facing “a difficult phase,” Berlusconi said. “Not more than two weeks ago, the country was giving signs of unrest and disquiet, which were very important. I understand these signals, and I wanted to give a political response.”
Berlusconi was to face a no-confidence vote Thursday. His ruling coalition ran into trouble recently when his Forza Italia party lost 11 of 13 regional elections and the Union of Christian Democrats, a coalition party, quit the coalition.
His government is the 59th Italian government since 1949, but the longest-serving in modern times. Its five-year term was not due to end until 2006.
But Berlusconi’s popularity has declined as the Italian economy has slipped and opposition to Italian involvement in the U.S.-led war in Iraq has increased.
Berlusconi, a staunch ally of U.S. President George Bush, said last month Italy’s 3,000 troops in Iraq may begin a partial withdrawal this fall.
The country’s contingent is the third-largest force among U.S. allies in Iraq, behind Britain and South Korea. Twenty-eight Italians have died in the conflict — 21 military personnel, six civilians and one intelligence officer.
In his speech Wednesday, Berlusconi said: “What is happening is natural, and I don’t want to dramatize artificially a very complicated situation.” But he pledged to form a new government that will serve as a “unifying force.”
Sources told CNN Ciampi was expected to begin consulting with political leaders to assess the situation, and plans to continue through Friday.
http://www.cnn.com
HHS SECRETARY THOMPSON SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH ITALIAN MINISTER OF HEALTH SIRCHIA?
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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and Italian Minister of Health Girolamo Sirchia, M.D., signed an agreement to promote greater cooperation in health and medical science between the two countries today. Secretary Thompson and Minister Sirchia signed the agreement after discussing various global health issues in Rome.
“In a global world we share global diseases that call for global collaboration and global response,” HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. “SARS is simply the latest example of how diseases aren’t respectful of international boundaries, therefore our science, research and partnerships must not stop at the water’s edge.”
The U.S. and Italy will initially work in cooperation on bioterrorism preparedness and response, oncology, and research and treatment of rare diseases.
“Each of these areas shows great promise, however the collaboration in cancer research may ultimately lead to the most hope for people around the world,” Secretary Thompson said. “If we could end the threat of cancer as a death sentence for millions of people, we could truly brighten the lives of so many men, women and children walking on earth.”
The agreement may be expanded to include other health issues in the future. As part of the agreement, the U.S. and Italy are able to exchange scientific delegations, non-proprietary information and technology; organize meetings and scientific conferences; and coordinate scientific programs and government-sponsored research protocols, including clinical trials. This agreement will augment already existing partnerships between the two nations.
“We will also encourage bringing together direct relationships between our governments and other appropriate institutions and research facilities. The synergy of our efforts will surely lead to a healthier tomorrow around the world,” Secretary Thompson said.
The components of HHS involved under this agreement include: HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness; the National Institutes of Health; and the Food and Drug Administration. The Italian components currently involved include: the Istituto Superiore di Sanita’ (NIH), the Istituto Lazzaro Spallanzani (Institute for Infectious Diseases), the Istituto CSS Mendel (Institute for Genetic Diseases), and the Alleanza contro il Cancro (Cancer Hospital Network).
http://www.medicalnewsservice.com/
La Leva di Archimede (ENG): Italian Health Minister Sirchia Denies …
… The Italian minister of health Girolamo Sirchia, formerly head of the Blood
Transfusion Center of Milan’s Policlinic, denied having received payments …
Italian Health Minister Sirchia Denies Receiving Money From Immucor
The Italian minister of health Girolamo Sirchia, formerly head of the Blood Transfusion Center of Milan’s Policlinic, denied having received payments from Immucor, a multinational blood bank technology and diagnostics firm. However documentary evidence obtained by Italian judges Maurizio Romanelli e Eugenio Fusco from Immucor seem to indicate that checks made out to Sirchia were sent to Switzerland and cashed there.
Immucor “identified certain weaknesses in internal controls in the Italian subsidiary” and is “in the process of strengthening those internal controls”, according to a PR Newswire announcement. The statement also says that “the Company has undertaken a thorough review of the books and records of the Italian subsidiary with the assistance of forensic audit personnel from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. That review has identified a number of improperly recorded transactions totaling approximately $730 thousand.”
The Price Waterhouse report lists 90 payments to medical doctors, of which 20 appear to be legally “doubtful”. Sirchia is listed as one of the recipients, and according to the Italian newsagency ANSA, the report, now in possession of the judges who are investigating, documents four payments in 1998 and 1999, for a total of $ 35,000. Apparently the German Immucor subsidiary made out checks to Sirchia, which were sent by UPS to Switzerland. An employee of the Lugano Chapter of Union Bank of Switzerland receives the checks and puts them on an account: $ 15,000 on 4 June 1998, $ 9,000 on 9 September 1998, $ 6,000 on 24 November 1999. Another payment of $ 5,000 are registered as “staff travel”.
Sirchia says: “I do not know anything about this”.
www.laleva.org/eng/2005/02/italian_health_ minister_sirchia_denies_receiving_money_from_immucor.html
See also:
NO OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON IMMUCOR PROBE-HEALTH MINISTER
(AGI) – Rome, Italy, Feb. 2 – “I read the newspapers, and I asked my lawyers how things are. I haven’t received any official statements. I will try to understand things better,” said Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia, on the sidelines of a convention in reference to the Immucor probe. The US pharmaceutical giant has allegedly given photocopies of checks made out to Sirchia dating from 1998-1999, when he was the head of the Milan Transfusion Centre. (AGI) .
http://www.agi.it/
