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Rome wants G8 talks in quake town | Rome wants G8 talks in quake town |
(30 minutes later) | |
Italy's cabinet has backed plans by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to move this summer's G8 summit to the earthquake-struck town of L'Aquila. | Italy's cabinet has backed plans by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to move this summer's G8 summit to the earthquake-struck town of L'Aquila. |
Other G8 member states would need to back the move. | |
Italy had previously planned to hold the summit, which is scheduled to run from 8-10 July, on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. | Italy had previously planned to hold the summit, which is scheduled to run from 8-10 July, on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. |
An earthquake on 6 April devastated L'Aquila, leaving 295 people dead and at least 50,000 homeless. | An earthquake on 6 April devastated L'Aquila, leaving 295 people dead and at least 50,000 homeless. |
The decision to move the summit was made at a cabinet meeting held in L'Aquila. | The decision to move the summit was made at a cabinet meeting held in L'Aquila. |
Mr Berlusconi said that holding the summit in the central Italian city would save money from security costs that could be spent on post-earthquake reconstruction. | |
He also said he did not think that anti-globalisation protesters would have what he called the wish or the heart to stage violent demonstrations in an area so badly damaged by an earthquake. | |
World leaders could see the damage for themselves, he added, and might be persuaded to donate more money. | |
"The 21 heads of government who come will be able to see first hand the wounds caused by this earthquake," the Italian leader said at a press conference. | |
"I think it could work out very well." | |
On Thursday the cabinet also raised the amount of money allocated for reconstruction efforts in the central Abruzzo region to 8bn euros (£7.2bn). |