Calls for European anti-riot force

The calls follow violence at last month's G8 summit in Genoa

ROME, Italy -- Italy is supporting a German proposal to create a European police force to combat anti-globalisation protesters.

Italy's Interior Minister Claudio Scajola and his German counterpart, Otto Schily, held two days of talks at the weekend that focused on the proposed European force and forging a new policy towards immigration.

Scajola indicated his support for the concept, which Schily proposed in an interview with the German weekly newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

"There is the need for a new and stronger collaboration among European countries to confront this problem and a European anti-riot force that could manage the phenomenon with the contribution of local police," Scajola was quoted by Italian media as saying.

Scajola has come under fire for Italy's handling of last month's Group of Eight summit in Genoa at which one protester was killed and more than 200 protesters injured in clashes with Italian riot police and carabinieri.

Schily said there were some 33,000 people in Germany alone who could be considered left-wing radicals and warned that although they are loosely unified, they could organise terrorist cells.

He said while the European Union's interior ministers had agreed to work together to fight the extremists, additional measures were needed.

He proposed a Europe-wide information databank on the continent's far-left and a corps of international riot police.

"I suggest setting up a corps of specially trained European riot police that can work at an international level to de-escalate problems and, where needed, effectively quell violence," Schily told the newspaper.

He said the international riot police could be modelled on the European border police who are being trained to work within the boundaries of European countries that allow people to travel without passports.

Part of the corps' mission, he added, would be to prevent situations like Genoa from happening again, while allowing world leaders to meet at an international level.

"We can't allow violence from militant activists to dictate where and how democratically elected state leaders hold their meetings," Schily said.

The German foreign ministry has asked Italy to investigate fully the police actions during the Genoa riots and also formally protested when Italy imposed five-year entry bans on up to 50 German protesters who were kicked out of the country.

About 70 of the 300 people arrested during the riots were German, and far-left German groups have held regular protests against Italy in Germany since the July 20-22 summit.

Meanwhile, Rome's left-wing mayor has criticised government plans to move a forthcoming World Food Summit away from the capital to avoid a repeat of the riots.

The government has suggested the Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) summit on hunger be moved from Rome where it is due to be held in November.

Italian newspapers reported Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as telling senators that hosting the FAO summit was "too risky."

Scajola told reporters there was "concern that we risk another wave of violence" while other politicians warned that Rome's world-famous historical sites could be wrecked by protesters on the rampage.

But Rome's Mayor Walter Veltroni told Italian news agency ANSA: "The FAO summit is very different from the G8.

"Rome is honoured to be home to FAO and is ready to do its part to be a place for discussion and peaceful protests against inequality in the world.

"If FAO decides to hold its summit in the capital, Rome will know how to host the discussions."

The Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry Giuseppe Baldocci has met FAO Director General Jacques Diouf to discuss Italy's concerns.

"Diouf made no commitment or comment but the two agreed to keep talking," Nick Parsons, head of media at FAO, told Reuters.

"As far as Diouf is concerned, the preparations for the summit in November are going ahead at the moment."

Italy has been stung by international criticism over the policing of the summit and its embassies have been targeted since the summit.

Last Friday, anti-capitalists occupied the Italian consulate in the German city of Bremen.

At least six demonstrators forced their way into the building and hung placards saying "occupied" out of the window.

The day before, Dutch police arrested 26 anti-globalisation protestors who had staged a peaceful 12-hour protest occupation of the Italian consulate in Amsterdam.

The Bremen protest came the day after three senior Italian police chiefs were moved from their jobs in connection with the summit.

Interior Minister Claudio Scajola said the officers -- Ansoino Andreassi, the deputy chief of police in charge of the G8, Arnaldo La Barbera, head of the anti-terrorism department, and Francesco Colucci, police superintendent of Genoa -- all resigned.