Italian MP call for removal of US nukes

Italian opposition lawmaker Pierfelice Zazzera has called on Silvio Berlusconi’s government to remove nuclear warheads that have been placed in the country by the US.

Zazzera said Italy was in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by hosting 90 US nuclear warheads and criticized the government for its lack of control over weapons of mass destruction that have been placed on its soil.

The Italian Values opposition party member also criticized the government for disregarding a 1987 vote by which 65 percent of the Italian nation expressed their disapproval of nuclear energy and blasted Berlusconi for turning a blind eye to the extensive radiation risk the country currently faces.

He said some 235 tons of third degree nuclear waste with 90 percent radioactivity were in need of proper disposal in the country.

This is while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna recommends that nuclear waste with 10 percent radioactivity be disposed in highly specialized storage sites for over three centuries.

Earlier this month, the majority of Italians backed the opposition-proposed referendum which called for banning nuclear power production.

The government worked hard to keep the turnout below 50 percent to be able to scrape the vote, but Italians flocked to the polls to vote in opposition to the government.

With the turnout of 57 percent, over 90 percent voted against the government, since the majority of voters were opponents.