Gentiloni plays down talk of instability (3)

(ANSA) - Rome, January 18 - Premier Paolo Gentiloni on Thursday played down talk of possible political instability in Italy following the March 4 general election.
    "To the foreign leaders and economic interlocutors who ask me about political instability, I respond that I am hopeful because, for 70 years, Italy has been one of the most coherent of the big European countries, one of the most stable and one whose fundamentals are among the most recognizable by investors and by the international side," he said.
    "Government changes have not led to changes in economic or foreign policy or in reliability for investors.
    "That means that we are not a problem, but a country that deserves faith". Gentiloni said Italy needs to have faith in itself as it tackles its challenges as he opened the academic year at the LUISS university in Rome. "Italy is going through a period in which courage and confidence are needed more than ever," Gentiloni said. "(We are) out of the greatest (economic) crisis of the post-war period with stable growth".