Premier Matteo Renzi said
Wednesday that his government is "going forward" with the
controversial high-speed TAV rail project between northern Italy
and France.
In comments to La Stampa daily newspaper, Renzi said he
will visit the construction site at Chiomonte in the northern
Susa Valley "soon", where many of the sometimes-violent protests
have occured.
Renzi said he had heard of some looming problems with
project financing on the French side.
On the Italian side, two major public works challenges are
construction of the rail line in the Bremner Pass through the
Alps and the Susa Valley, he added.
Renzi said he respected the position of non-violent
protestors - many of which have tried to distance themselves
from the violent groups.
Last month, a militant group calling itself the
Armed Operational Nuclei (NOA) called for TAV opponents to
join its "armed struggle" against the Italian authorities.
In a letter sent to ANSA's offices in Turin, the group
added that it considered Renzi's current government to be "more
dangerous" than other administrations of recent years.
"It is supported by pro-Zionist press that inflates its
popularity, but the crisis is serious and it cannot last for
long," the group said.
Its threats come as a chilling reminder of leftist and
rightist terrorist campaigns in Italy that left an estimated
2,000 dead between 1969 and 1981.
"It will be sufficient to land the first blow to make the
system start to crumble. September will be a month of combat and
fire," the group warned.
In February, police and officials received notice from a
NOA that said its "revolutionary court" had condemned them to
death for allegedly "repressing" protests against work on the
TAV line north of Turin.
Opponents argue the TAV rail link is wasteful of public
funds and destroys pristine countryside.
Supporters say it will cut down on automobile and truck
pollution and make shipping and transit more efficient.
The Italian and French governments have insisted that the
link will not only speed passenger and freight traffic but also
boost both countries' economies.
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