5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di
Maio said Wednesday that he and League chief Matteo Salvini were
willing to be outside the government team if this were necessary
to make a M5S-League executive possible.
"I hope that I can be involved in the government to put
myself personally to the test, but if necessary, I and Salvini
are ready to be outside," Di Maio told reporters.
Salvini said on Facebook on Wednesday that "we have made big
steps forward" in the talks.
He said the two parties "will move on to the names" for
government positions if they manage to finalise an agreement on
the programme by the end of the day.
"I'm happy, we are not reasoning on the names (for positions)
but only on the future of Italy and we are reasoning with the
M5S in a correct, constructive and positive way," Salvini said
in a live Facebook broadcast.
Salvini also hit back at the Financial Times for comparing
the prospect of a League-M5S government to the return of the
barbarians to Rome.
"The FT says we are barbarians. I say that is is better to be
barbarians than slaves," Salvini said on Facebook.
"They are using the usual tricks, the spread. But we are
going forward. I wasn't born just to make do".
Di Maio said that an eventual M5S-League government would be
open to dialogue with the European Union, while stressing that
it would not take orders from it.
"I can understand that the agreement (for an M5S-League govt)
may scare a part of the European establishment," Di Maio said.
"There will be utmost dialogue with Europe but we will not be
subordinate to Eurocrats.
"We have put together (with the League) new procedures for
dialogue with the EU".
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