Luigi Di Maio, a senior lawmaker
for the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and Deputy
Speaker of the Lower House, suggested Friday that the government
would be short-handed if it applied his movement's ethical code.
"If they applied our ethical code, not even the seats would
remain," Di Maio said in response to the news that an
undersecretary, Umberto Del Basso De Caro, had been convicted of
an offence concerning public money.
Di Maio also said that Italy's role in NATO should be
reviewed but added that the M5S was not calling for a referendum
on Italy's membership of the alliance.
Earlier this week a post by another M5S MP, Manlio Di
Stefano, on the blog of movement leader Beppe Grillo said that
Italy's participation in NATO should be debated and put to "the
judgment of the Italians".
"What we are asking for is that Italy's commitment in NATO
and NATO itself be reviewed," said Di Maio, who is seen by many
as potential future premier candidate for the M5S.
"We are pleased that (US President-elect Donald) Trump is on
the same line.
"Our position on NATO has always been coherent - go beyond
NATO, not out of NATO.
"We are crazy to take our troops to the Russian border".
Di Maio also spoke about the upcoming ruling in Rome over
whether the contract that the capital's Mayor Virginia Raggi
signed with the M5S before her election last year makes her
ineligible for the job.
The contract features a hefty fine if Raggi fails to respect
the M5S's conditions.
"Is it illegitimate? Let's wait for the sentence," he said.
"The (centre-left Democratic Party) PD appeals to the courts
because it does not know how to face us".
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