A diplomatic incident between Germany and Italy

Heinz-Joachim Fischer, long-time Rome correspondent for the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, has sparked a diplomatic incident with an article published on the weekend. In it he accused Italian President Giorgio Napolitano of continuing the Second World War with political means. The Italian daily Corriere della Sera writes that while the contention has been resolved on the diplomatic level, Fischer's article reveals basic prejudices: "Fischer hints that certain commonplaces - in which the Germans come to the aid of the Italians - bind the German Reich and the small Italian. Ultimately, his words are even directed against the myth of the 'Resistenza', the Italian resistance movement. Fischer's theses have been refuted. What remains is the [Italian] compensation claim [of 800,000 euros, for families of victims killed during the war]. Does this diplomatic incident run the risk of making this claim a political issue? The answer will come at the bilateral German-Italian consultations on November 18 in Triest."

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