America's fear

The issue of terrorism is still at the center of the attention of the American government. it is needless to say that terrorists cannot be destroyed with bombs only, taking into account the fact that they don't sit still, constantly changing their tactics and strategies.

Washington is really concerned about the security of American citizens living outside the US. One cannot say that this problem has received little attention before. The US State Department used to publish lists of the countries that were recommended to be avoided by American citizens. However, there was no anti-terrorist war at that time, so the potential threat to American citizens in other countries is only going to grow. This has recently been proven with an act of terrorism in a Christian church in Pakistan, although this country cannot be referred to as a peaceful one. However, it is becoming clear that the phantom of terrorism will haunt Americans everywhere, including those in European countries.

The American government warned US citizens that they could easily become objects of terrorist attacks in Italy and the Vatican if they were going to celebrate Easter in these countries. The American citizens living in the Vatican, Venice, Florence, Milan, and Veron could face a high risk. It was stressed that the danger originates from terrorist groups that do not distinguish between official figures of the US and the common citizens.

The representatives of the American administration claim that their warning was based on specific information from close contacts in the law-enforcement bodies and special services of Italy. However, there is the question of why Italy was included on the list of the dangerous countries? It is quite easy to answer it. Speaking about terrorist groups, the American government does not at all imply Islamic fundamentalists and their leader bin Laden. The authorities most probably mean the so-called Red Brigades, the representatives of which claimed responsibility for assassinating economic adviser to the Italian government Marco Biagi (52) on March 19 of this year.

For a long time, it has been considered that the Red Brigades were totally defeated in the beginning of the 1980s. However, it seems that it was a premature thing to think. However, Islamic terrorist organizations might prove their existence in Italy as well, even in the Vatican. There was an attempt on John Paul II in 1980 by a Turkish terrorist.

Therefore, the concerns of the American government are grounded, but their recommendations are not likely to reduce the number of those who wish to visit Italy and the Vatican during the Easter celebration. That is why the special services of Italy and USA will have a lot of work to do in order to guarantee the security of tourists.

Oleg Artyukov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov