Trash talk
October 30, 2010
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says he has reached a deal with the mayors in southern Italy that will end the dispute over a new dump that has left garbage piled up in the streets of Naples.
"After intensive discussions, we have found a solution," Berlusconi told reporters on Friday following talks with the mayors of 18 affected towns who resent the stench at the existing landfill.
But protestors vowed Saturday to continue a planned march against the proposed new dump.
"We cannot give up as long as we do not see concrete results that take into account the welfare of the people," a spokesperson for the Movement for the Protection of the Area around Vesuvius told the news agency dpa.
Promises, promises
On Saturday, the government pledged to introduce a law that would put a stop to highly controversial plans for a second garbage dump in the Vesuvius National Park, as well as limit the rubbish that can be brought to the existing Sari landfill.
In return, the mayors promised to immediately stop the protests that have marked the last few weeks, filling the streets with more than 2,000 tons of garbage as local residents clashed with police.
European Union officials in Brussels last week threatened heavy fines if Italy failed to get a grip on its trash situation.
Author: Sarah Harman (dpa, afp)
Editor: Kyle James