Foreign Minister Mariano Rumor has denied local press reports that the United States had concentrated specially trained troops at Italian bases in readiness for possible American military intervention in the Middle East. Addressing the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Rumor said the press reports were speculation devoid of any foundation.
Referring to U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger’s recent remark about the possible use of force in the gravest emergency, the Italian Foreign Minister excluded any possibility “however remote or theoretical” of a confrontation between Europe and the oil producing countries. He stated that the bases used by Italy’s NATO allies here remained under Italian control and could be used only for NATO purposes. The Mideast, Rumor stressed, was outside the scope of NATO.
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