ITALY: New Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to meet European leaders after winning a resounding vote of confidence
Record ID:
327625
ITALY: New Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to meet European leaders after winning a resounding vote of confidence
- Title: ITALY: New Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to meet European leaders after winning a resounding vote of confidence
- Date: 19th November 2011
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (NOVEMBER 18, 2011) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT ITALIAN AND EUROPEAN UNION FLAGS OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARIO MONTI ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE MONTI SEATED AT PODIUM MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARIO MONTI SAYING: "This has given me the sense to say that this government that has been formed and today been given the vote of confidence in both the senate and parliament certainly has a mission of decisive and effective management of an economic, financial and social emergency, and to quick start what we hope will be a strong acceleration of a plan of economic growth. But it probably also has the function of helping the political forces to find a form of mutual disarmament, even if just temporarily." PHOTOGRAPHER (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARIO MONTI SAYING: "Yesterday we had a long telephone conversation over the problems of the euro zone and over all the European Union at this stage. They have encouraged me over what comes to my activity with the new government. We have begun exchanging some ideas over the themes that will be the focus of the meeting I believe will take place over a lunch, at the invitation of the French president on Thursday." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER, MARIO MONTI SAYING: "There is no agenda for our meeting of three in Strasbourg, it will be a very informal meeting but also of a lot of work. I have been asked by the two colleagues, I have to get used to calling them that, even if one of them is the head of a state, I have been asked to give a contribution of ideas in addition to participating in the talks we will hold in Strasbourg. It is difficult to say in this situation which is also very open to the contributions I and Italy will feel we need to make. It is difficult to say what exactly we will discuss but I assure you it will be very relevant to the behaviour of the euro zone." NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING, MONTI LEAVING
- Embargoed: 4th December 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy, Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAD2RO3KQ7B2DP3UKGFREVHMRPM
- Story Text: New Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti took addressed reporters after winning an overwhelming vote of confidence on Friday (November 18), following a warning to Italian politicians they would have to face the public if they sabotaged a sweeping package of reforms aimed at ending an acute debt crisis.
Monti won the vote in Parliament by 556 to 61 after a similar comfortable vote in the upper house on Thursday. His unelected government of technocrats is now fully empowered.
Monti told journalists the positive result had been expected but what he had not foreseen was the intensity of debate and what he described as "the start of a new climate in the dialogue among the political forces".
"This has given me the sense to say that this government that has been formed and today been given the vote of confidence in both the senate and parliament certainly has a mission of decisive and effective management of an economic, financial and social emergency, and to quick start what we hope will be a strong acceleration of a plan of economic growth. But it probably also has the function of helping the political forces to find a form of mutual disarmament, even if just temporarily," he said.
Monti said he would meet EU commission leaders next Tuesday in Brussels, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Strasbourg on Thursday, to discuss the euro zone crisis.
He told reporters that he had already had a long phone call with Merkel and Sarkozy to prepare for next week's meeting.
"Yesterday we had a long telephone conversation over the problems of the euro zone and over all the European Union at this stage. They have encouraged me over what comes to my activity with the new government. We have begun exchanging some ideas over the themes that will be the focus of the meeting I believe will take place over a lunch, at the invitation of the French president on Thursday," Monti said.
European leaders have welcomed Monti, who took power after the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi. The departure of the flamboyant media magnate caused a collective sigh of relief among exasperated euro zone leaders, who hope Monti can overcome a disastrous collapse of market confidence in Italy under Berlusconi.
Monti took a cautious stance on creating a bond issued jointly by the euro zone, saying he had supported the idea as an economist but wanted to speak to European partners before taking an official position.
"There is no agenda for our meeting of three in Strasbourg, it will be a very informal meeting but also of a lot of work. I have been asked by the two colleagues, I have to get used to calling them that, even if one of them is the head of a state, I have been asked to give a contribution of ideas in addition to participating in the talks we will hold in Strasbourg. It is difficult to say in this situation which is also very open to the contributions I and Italy will feel we need to make. It is difficult to say what exactly we will discuss but I assure you it will be very relevant to the behaviour of the euro zone," he said.
He did not answer a question about whether the European Central Bank should become a lender of last resort for euro zone countries but in answer to another question said he saw no need to change the current ordering of the ECB's role. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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