DATE=10/12/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=ITALY - K-G-B- SPIES (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-254926
BYLINE=SABINA CASTELFRANCO
DATELINE=ROME
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Italy's prime minister says his government
will not be weakened by publication of a list of names
of alleged Italian spies for the Soviet K-G-B during
the cold war. He accused the center-right opposition
of using the matter to launch a campaign to discredit
the government. Sabina Castelfranco reports from
Rome.
TEXT: Italy's Prime Minister Massimo d'Alema defended
the government's action with regard to a list of names
of Italians who allegedly spied for the Soviet Union
during the Cold War. He said the government had
handled the affair in a public and open manner.
Italy's center-right opposition at first accused the
government of trying to keep the documents secret and
then demanded that the government resign over the
matter. Now, the opposition has asked that a new
parliamentary commission be established to carry out
an investigation.
The list contains the names of more than 250 Italians
who are said to have been informants or contacts of
the Soviet K-G-B. The list was made public Monday
after intense pressure from the news media and from
politicians on both sides of the political divide.
The list is part of the documents smuggled to Britain
by K-G-B archivist Vasili Mitrokhin in 1992 when he
defected from the former Soviet Union. It includes
the names of Italian politicians, academics,
journalists, and even a monk.
The information is varied. Some of the names on the
list are in code, others are being listed as being
"cultivated" by the K-G-B or other Soviet intelligence
agencies. Not all are described as full-fledged
salaried spies.
Prime Minister d'Alema -- Italy's first former
communist leader of government -- played down the
importance of the list. Mr. D'Alema said most of the
information does not appear to be new. He also said
it is up to magistrates to find out if those named had
acted as spies.
Under Italian law, anyone found guilty of espionage
faces at least 15-years in prison.
One of the first names that leaked even before the
government allowed publication of the list was that of
Armando Cossutta, the leader of the small party of
Italian Communists which supports the government
majority. Mr. Cossutta acknowledged that he always
maintained extensive contacts with the Soviet Union,
but said the idea that he was a spy is simply
ridiculous.
Many others, whose names appeared on the list, have
also denied any wrongdoing. (Signed)
NEB/SC/JWH/ENE/gm
12-Oct-1999 12:38 PM EDT (12-Oct-1999 1638 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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