BRUSSELS. The stop of Giuseppe Conte and the M5S to the increase in military spending? «I reaffirmed my commitment to NATO; we will continue to observe it “: Prime Minister Mario Draghi, arriving at the Europa Building for the work of the European Council, thus answers a question from a reporter who refers to the statements of the M5S leader today on The print. “The urgency – says Conte – must be to protect families and businesses from the crisis”.
Conte: “Military spending is not the priority, the Movement will vote no to the increase”
Andrea Malaguti
“We would not live up to our Constitution if instead of intervening with urgent investments in emergencies to help companies and families in difficulty, we chose the path of massive intervention in military spending”, reiterates the president M5s Conte. And he defines “ignoble” the choice of massive investments in military spending. But the Movement is at a crossroads: the fear among the parliamentary groups is that the presentation of an agenda may not only “deny” the work done by the pentastellates in the Chamber but also split the groups. And create difficulties for Prime Minister Draghi.
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UPDATES FROM THE UKRAINE BY FRANCESCO SEMPRINI AND NICCOLÒ ZANCAN. DIRECTED BY CHIARA BALDI, DANIELA LANNI, ROBERTO PAVANELLO
There are those who believe that in the event of a presentation of an agenda without an agreement in the majority the government could go into crisis, that the acceleration of Conte on the no to the increase in military spending could compromise not only the unity with the Democratic Party, but also the image of the country. «Even Draghi – observes an M5s source – has repeatedly recalled that the priority at the moment is to address the problems of the Italians. Enough with demagogy ». But the former premier takes the point: “This is not the time to increase military spending”, also notes Senator Ferrara, head of the M5s group in the Foreign Affairs Commission of Palazzo Madama. The pentastellates embrace the thought of Pope Francis who today argued that “the real answer is not other weapons, other sanctions, other political-military alliances”.
The dems have no intention of entering the internal debate at M5s, they are waiting for Di Maio’s line to emerge at the appropriate time, but in the groups there is growing irritation over Conte’s position that – this is the refrain – risks undermining the unity of the government vis-à-vis Europe and especially Russia. Open debate also in the League, because in addition to the invitation to the premier to keep the tone low, there is still the orientation not to present any odg.
The former premier in front of Copasir
Meanwhile, the hearing at Copasir of former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte took place today, on the story of the health mission of the Russians in Italy in March 2020, when the country was in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. Conte dealt directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to authorize the mission, which later became the subject of controversy following press reports that reported on possible espionage activities. Also in today’s interview on The print Conte explained that he immediately contacted the president of the Committee, Adolfo Urso, to give him his availability “at any moment to report on my work. Everything was done in absolute transparency ». The mission, he stressed, “because of the way it was organized, there was no possibility that it would turn into an intelligence operation. Our soldiers have always supported the Russian mission ». The M5S leader then reported that he did not know “the details of the activity carried out, because everything was entrusted to the defense authorities and the competent health authorities”. He then added that it was Putin who offered help to Italy “in a moment of extraordinary emergency”.
Italy-Russia clash on Covid, offers of money and requests for data: here are the pressures from Moscow
Jacopo Jacoboni
The audition lasted about an hour after the audition. The leader of the M5s left Palazzo San Macuto without making any statements. Instead, Federica Dieni, vice president of Copasir, and Maurizio Cattoi with Francesco Castiello, members of the Movement, speak: “The hearing at Copasir regarding the mission” From Russia with Love “was not due, and Giuseppe Conte’s availability is a further confirmation of the transparency of the mission which took place exclusively in the health sector and always under the strict surveillance of the Italian military ». The statements and hypotheses of alleged “blackmail” of recent days by Russia against Italy, “in addition to being part of a propaganda strategy, represent a senseless and malevolent distortion compared to a moment of extraordinary emergency”.