Posted on 04/02/2011 1:04:48 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Embattled Italian PM also offers tax breaks to island's residents as critics accuse him of using diversionary tactics... Silvio Berlusconi has put on a vintage display of showmanship, claiming he would empty the island of immigrants within 60 hours, nominate locals for a Nobel peace prize and buy a holiday home there...
During a lightning visit to Lampedusa, which is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, Berlusconi told cheering locals that six chartered ferries were arriving to pick up the remaining 6,000 migrants, mainly young Tunisian men, who have made the sea crossing since the collapse of the Tunisian government in January and the suspension of coastal patrols.
The migrants will join other north Africans who have already been transferred to centres and camps on the mainland after paying out thousands of euros to make the often perilous crossing...
To frequent applause, Berlusconi told residents he would give them tax breaks and propose they receive the Nobel peace prize for their patience, later telling a press conference he would push for the construction of a casino and a golf course...
The prime minister also said he would use his private TV channels to promote the relaunch of tourism in Lampedusa. While surfing the internet before his visit, he added, he had purchased a beach house on Lampedusa, which he visited before leaving the island...
...as his supporters in parliament worked on a measure trimming the statute of limitations for first-time offenders, a measure they claimed is designed to cancel the prime minister's ongoing trial for bribing British lawyer David Mills... Berlusconi is now seeking to convince Italy's regional governors to put up the migrants brought ashore. Over 3,000 who have already escaped from makeshift camps have travelled to Ventimiglia seeking to cross into France, where many have relatives.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Read it yourself, we’ve all been had, it satire!
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