Zoom Image
An Italian carabinieri in front of the reconstructed wreckage of the crashed DC9
Photo: Emiliano Grillotti / AP
More than 40 years after the mysterious crash of an Italian passenger plane with 81 fatalities, the case is making headlines again. Former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato blamed France in the daily newspaper "La Repubblica" (Saturday) and demanded an apology. Amato argued that the plane had been hit by an errant French missile. The original plan was to kill the then Libyan ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi on board a fighter jet.
The plane of the airline Itavia had crashed on June 27, 1980 near the small Italian island of Ustica in the Mediterranean Sea. None of the 81 people aboard the DC9 survived. To this day, it is not clear what actually happened. In addition to the thesis of an accidental shootdown, there is also speculation about an air battle between Libyan Air Force aircraft and NATO aircraft, as well as a bomb hidden on board. There have already been several court proceedings on this without any clarity being provided.
The now 85-year-old Amato was involved in the case within the government before his time as prime minister in 1992/93 and 2000/01 in the mid-eighties. The "Repubblica" said the now non-partisan politician in an interview that the "most likely variant" was that the passenger plane had been accidentally shot down by a French fighter jet. Amato appealed to current President Emmanuel Macron to apologize on behalf of France. "The persistent silence does not seem to me to be a solution."
Italy's current right-wing government took note of the remarks with interest. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke of "important statements that deserve attention". At the same time, she clarified that these were Amato's "personal conclusions" and not her government's view. Her deputy Matteo Salvini called on Paris to make a statement.
tgk/dpa