The following is a letter published today by the Corriere della Sera, written by the Ambassador of the United States of America in Italy Mr. Ronald P. Spogli. the face of the Democratic Party, Peter and all those who say that our country has no weight abroad.
Dear Editor, the publication of the first
cablegrams diplomats abducted from Wikileaks over the last months of last year, the Italian press have appeared frequently on news the United States and Italy. In the frenzy to score points for their own benefit, which dominates the fiery Italian political scene right now, what is lost is the impartial opinion on relations between Italy and the United States established by Silvio Berlusconi and the government he led.
The United States has no better ally of Italy on the European continent . I repeated these words several times, as an ambassador, and I firmly believe that they are true today as it did in 2005 when I had occasion to pronounce. From the Balkans, Lebanon, entire area of \u200b\u200bthe Middle East and in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Italian contribution in terms of manpower, material and financial assistance in support of policies and initiatives shared remains unparalleled. When she was invited to support a U.S. goal, Italy has never pulled back. Our defense cooperation is constantly developing our respective countries and today enjoy a relationship between the smallest and most diverse, of all the bilateral military relations. A
so intense collaboration has helped to raise Italy to an unprecedented stature on the international political scene. Often considered a partner in the past to the second floor, since 2000, Italy has taken a of great importance on the world stage between the G8 countries . In an article published in this newspaper in September 2010, I had the opportunity to comment on how Italy has learned in less than a decade, abandoning the traditional image of featherweight in the world to become an important and valuable contributor to the maintenance of peace and stability.
historical standpoint, however strong and mutually beneficial have been in the past, only with the establishment of the government of Silvio Berlusconi in 2001-2006 our political relations have reached the prominence they enjoy today. The excellent personal relationship between President Bush and Prime Minister Berlusconi was born of a shared vision of the challenges and opportunities globally and how best to address them. Indeed, the rise of Italy to key player in the international arena coincided with a period of intense collaboration between Italy and the United States which lasts until today, and was favored on the Italian side in the first Berlusconi government in 2001 - 2006 and 2008 to the present day. Although Prodi's coalition of 2006-2008 also has supported most American interventions - with the notable exception of Iraq - no one has ever argued with equal fairness and consistency of American policy positions as Silvio Berlusconi.
Sure, there were differences of opinion on some issues, mostly relating to Russia, but not all. Over the years, however, these differences were largely have become obsolete or irrelevant. But none of this - and much less morbid media attention on some explicit comments contained in the so-called secret cable - can ever question the close alliance that unites America and Italy, joined in the effort to find solutions to thorniest problems of the world. For his collaborative spirit, America has a debt of gratitude to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Ambassador Ronald P. Spogli
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