'Italians in Sudan all contacted, all fine' - Tajani

(ANSA) - ROME, APR 23 - Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Sunday all Italians in Sudan had been contacted by the ministry's crisis unit and that they are fine.
    "They have been called one by one: they are all fine and will go to our embassy. I cannot tell you any more for security reasons," said Tajani.
    On Saturday evening government sources said an emergency plan to protect the approximately 140 Italians currently in Sudan had been drawn up during a meeting at Palazzo Chigi also involving Premier Giorgia Meloni, Tajani, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chief of the Defence Staff, and General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, Chief of the Interforce Summit Operations Command.
    "We are mobilized to ensure the safety of all our fellow citizens present in Khartoum," said Tajani on the sidelines of the ongoing Furniture Expo in Milan.
    "Our embassy will be the assembly point, after which we will make sure that we can get them to safety. Our armed forces, the air force, the inter-force departments are fully operational: it will be up to them to ensure maximum security and protect our fellow citizens," he continued.
    "I hope that everything can be done quickly," added the Foreign Minister.
    "We are working with the local authorities to get all the necessary authorizations." (ANSA).