Airliners Cancel Flights Amid NATO Summit Fears
Speaking of airlines ...
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By Reuters | New York Times
May 26, 2002
ROME (Reuters) - All Italian airliners and at least one foreign carrier
announced Sunday that they would suspend their Rome operations during a
NATO gathering of world leaders Tuesday to forestall fears of suicide
hijackings.
The NATO meeting is being staged at a military airbase less than two
minutes flying time from Rome's Fiumicino airport and the Italian authorities are
concerned that militants may try to overpower a commercial jet and target the
summit center.
In an effort to limit the dangers, the government has ordered all companies
using Fiumicino Tuesday to put security staff on their flights, and said fighter
jets would patrol the skies in case of possible airborne attack.
However, Italian carriers have decided instead to ground their planes
between 10 a.m-3 p.m. (0800-1300 GMT) Tuesday, saying they did not have
enough security staff trained in airline safety to meet government requirements.
Greece's Olympic Airways has also canceled a flight coinciding with the
summit, which will draw together 20 of the most powerful men in the world,
including President Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Rome's second largest airport Ciampino will be closed to all but VIP flights
for the next two days.
The Italian government says it has no knowledge of a specific threat to the
meeting, but it is taking no chances.
"This is the most important summit of heads of state since September 11
and we have had to devise a whole new level of security to take this into
account," Guido Bertolaso, head of Italy's Civil Protection body, told Reuters.
NATO leaders will sign a partnership deal with the Russians at Tuesday's
meeting, giving the former Cold War foe a greater say in areas such as counter
terrorism, regional emergencies, arms control and maritime safety.
"It is an historic meeting of global significance," said Italian Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi, who offered to host the signing ceremony after playing an
important role in talks with Bush and Putin on setting up the new NATO-Russia
Council.
STATUES FLOWN IN
Builders have constructed a plush reception center at the sprawling Pratica
di Mare military airbase, a 20-minute drive southeast of Rome, for Tuesday's
meeting.
Local museums have donated ancient Roman statues to give the site some
style, swathes of new lawn have been laid over the scruffy terrain and
nondescript barracks have received a hasty lick of green paint.
But behind the facade, the Italians have also laid down an imposing security
shield at Pratica di Mare -- Europe's second biggest military airbase which
flanks the Mediterranean.
Batteries of anti-air missiles nestle in nearby scrubland, helicopter gunships
will also be on hand and escape routes for the visiting VIPs have been carefully
set up in case of attack.
The government has called up some 15,000 soldiers, police and firemen for
guard duty.
Bush will fly into Rome Monday afternoon. Many other leaders, including
French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, arrive
Tuesday morning.
"Every type of threat, including electronic, chemical and biological has been
taken into account," Berlusconi told a news conference Friday.
"I imagine that Pratica di Mare will be the safest place in the world during
this summit," he added.
As a safety precaution, the government will seal off a 60-km (37-mile)
stretch of coastline from Anzio to Ostia Monday and Tuesday, sparking the ire
of local nudists, who flock to the nearby Capocotta beach for their all-over sun
tans.
"A naked man or woman has nowhere to hide any arms," said Paolo
Guerra, the spokesman for the local nudist association.
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