President Sergio Mattarella on
Friday received at the presidential Quirinale palace the
returned French Ambassador to Italy Christian Masset who handed
him a letter from French President Emmanuel Macron inviting him
to pay a State visit to France.
Mattarella cordially thanked Macron and accepted the
invitation.
Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said
Friday "I'm happy that the polemic is over. Now I renew the
request to meet the French interior minister, with the aim of
bringing back to Italy some of the 15 terrorists hiding for
years in France".
Masset on Friday returned to Rome after being recalled
to Paris for consultations on February 7.
Masset was discreetly greeted at Fiumicino Airport by French
embassy staff.
France recalled Masset for consultations citing unprecedented
attacks by Italian government figures after Deputy Premier Luigi
Di Maio met with hardline members of the Yellow Vest protest
movement in Paris.
"Italian President (Sergio) Mattarella called (French)
President (Emmanuel) Macron, they talked and they said how
important the friendship between France and Italy is, how much
the two countries need each other," European Affairs Minister
Nathalie Loiseau told RTL.
"We have also listened to the political leaders who let slip
words and conduct that were frankly unfriendly and unacceptable
show regret".
Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio
said Friday that his 5-Star Movement (M5S) will not have talks
with violent elements among France's Yellow Vests protestors.
Di Maio last week met controversial hardline Yellow Vest
member Christophe Chalencon, who has called for a military coup,
ahead of May's European elections.
"There was some interaction with a complex reality but we
don't intend to dialogue with the part that is talking about
armed struggle or civil war," Di Maio said as he presented the
M5S's manifesto for the European elections.
In other EU news Friday, Deputy Premier and Euroskeptic
League leader Matteo Salvini said Friday, after the League's
economic pointsman Claudio Borghi said Rome should exit the EU
if it is "still toxic" after May's European elections, that
Italy has no intention of leaving the European Union.
"We have no intention of leaving Europe, we want to change
it, improve it bit not abandon it," said Salvini, who is also
interior minister.
League economy pointman Borghi said earlier Friday that Italy
should consider leaving the EU if the bloc does not change
radically following the May 26 European elections.
"I think that this is the last chance. If, after the European
elections, the same mandarins led by Germany are the ones
driving the economic, social and migratory policies, for the
sole benefit of Germany and to our detriment, I'll say we should
leave," Borghi said.
"We either manage to change it or we'll have to come out".
The League MP said the EU project was a "failure" and "toxic
for Italy".
"If the environment remains toxic, I'll say let's get out,"
he said.
Rome should say clearly if it wants to exit the European
Union, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said.
"Let the Italian government say clearly whether it wants to
leave the euro and the European Union," Tajani said on Twitter.
"Too many ambiguities and ill-considered declarations only
cause harm to Italy and the Italians".
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