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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Raymond Duray who wrote (258873)	5/27/2002 4:37:05 PM
From: bonnuss_in_austin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Airliners Cancel Flights Amid NATO Summit Fears Speaking of airlines ... truthout.org 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. (In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.) Print This Story E-mail This Story © : t r u t h o u t 2002