Italian foreign minister calls for 'non-punitive' Brexit talks

(ANSA) - Rome, March 29 - Italian foreign minister Angelino Alfano said Wednesday that serious negotiations must be held on Great Britain's leaving of the European Union, but that "the approach must not be to punish London".
    Prime Minister Theresa May officially begins the process on Wednesday. "We want to show that it did not achieve a good deal, but it must be clear that they are leaving the EU and not Europe," Alfano told RTL radio.
    "We are allies in NATO, for example, and there are crucial issues such as security and defence, on which London continues to be a reliable ally for us." Alfano noted that he would be meeting with UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson during the day, and that "I will be reiterating how important it is that the right of the hundreds of thousands of Italians that live in London be safeguarded, and that they are able to benefit from the same labor rights as are ensured to British citizens working in European countries."