Crisis of Sigonella

The Crise of Sigonella is a diplomatic case complexes which was likely to start an engagement armed between the Italian armed and the American Special forces, the shortly after the diplomatic rupture between the President of the Italian Council Bettino Craxi and the President of the United States Ronald Reagan because of the fate of the terrorists of the boat of cruising the Achille Lauro.

Monday October 7th 1985 the Italian boat of cruising the Achilles Lauro, with 13:07, whereas it is on the point of leaving Alexandria in Egypt for Port Saïd then Israel, four Palestinian terrorists armed, which was introduced on board with Genoa with false passports, take possession of the boat after having drawn from the shots. The terrorists declare member of PLO, the Organization for the release of Palestine, in which the Fatah of Yasser Arafat represents the most important force. The terrorists ask for the release of about fifty their companions held in the prisons Israeli. The crew succeeds in sending a S.O.S which is collected in Sweden.

Chronological events of the October 7th and 8th 1985

The Foreign Minister Giulio Andreotti and the Minister for defense Giovanni Spadolini are informed towards 17:00 by the Italian ambassador with Stockholm Antonio Ciarrapico. They prepare with a negotiation which appears particularly complex and risky because also of the political opinions inside the Italian government. The evening, Andreotti, convenes with the Farnesina, the unit of crisis immediately activating its diplomatic channels thanks to the historical friendship with the moderate Arab world of which it supports the policy; Spadolini, of sound with dimensions convenes the staffs of the armed forces and the secret services.

During this time, after a phone conversation between Andreotti and Arafat, the Palestinian leader, by a written official statement, formless that it is completely foreign with this operation. Meanwhile, the Minister for the businesses outsides, succeeds in putting himself in liaison with the Egyptian political directors in order to be able to facilitate the negotiations while the President of the Council Bettino Craxi succeeds in obtaining the support of the president of the Tunisia.

In the night of October 7th, after the top with the ministry for defense, l' operation Marguerite is officially launched. She mobilizes four helicopters with 60 parachutists, and of the reconnaissance aircraft to determine the position of the boat. Immediately afterwards, Craxi, Andreotti and Spadolini give themselves appointment to the Palazzo Chigi for a night meeting.

October 8th at 3 a.m., Arafat puts himself in liaison with the government (this time with Craxi), recalling that it is not at the origin of this action. It communicates the name of the two negotiators in responsibility of collaborate with the Egyptian government, among which Abou Abbas, a philosophy-Syrian going down from the line of Arafat which one does not say that it is close to the terrorists.

During this time, Achilles Lauro, moves towards the port of Tartous in Syria which refuses accosting, Syria wishing to engage of the negotiations on line what is refused to him by Italy. The terrorists renew the request for release of the 50 prisoners as well as a negotiation with the ambassadors of Italy, of the the United States, the the United Kingdom and West Germany under the mediation of the Red Cross Internationale. The threat in the event of refusal is that to explode the boat.

Andreotti and Craxi, favorable as of the beginning with a negotiation, require of the American ambassador to stop his declarations according to which Ronald Reagan opposes the least negotiation. Craxi is ready to put forward its decision near the US government, which of sound with dimensions did not expect a reaction of the Italian government.

On the boat, the situation degenerates: the terrorists threaten to kill an hostage every hour. Leon Klinghoffer, a handicapped person of American nationality and Jewish religion, is killed and thrown with the sea, a succession of confirmations and denials create greatest confusion. Before one second execution takes place, the pirates receive the order of Abbas not to make an attempt on the life of their passengers and to move towards Port Saïd to Egypt.

Wednesday, October 9, 1985: the duel Italy-State-Plain starts

The US government, after being informed of the assassination of Klinghoffer, threatens to intervene militarily to release the hostages and bars from an Italian intervention. Craxi, which is opposed to an action of force, decides that in the case of an attack, only the Italian armed forces will intervene. It is the first rupture between the two governments.

Being this time authorized to accost, the terrorists can start to negotiate with the Egyptian government. Abbas succeeds in convincing the terrorists to go, promising an exit point diplomatic supported by the PLO and managed by the Italian government, provided that on board it were not made of offense. An agreement is found and in spite of the American dissension, the safe conduct is signed by the Italian ambassador in Egypt Migliuolo, which allows the release of the hundred hostages, in exchange of what the terrorists embark in a Boeing 737 in departure for the Tunisia.

Craxi contacts the commander of the boat, De Rosa, which informs it of the disappearance of Klinghoffer. The Italian ambassador in Egypt Migliuolo present at edge of Achilles Lauro diligent an investigation into the assassination while the American ambassador in Egypt asks that the pirates be retained, without result, the plane transporting the pirates having already taken off.

Thursday the 10th and Friday, October 11, 1985: Sigonella

Reagan unilaterally decides to intercept the plane. The US Saratoga (CV-60), a Aircraft carrier of US Navy of the Class Forrestal, which has just finished operations of NATO in the Mediterranean and fact course on the port of Dubrovnik in Yugoslavia receives the order to make half-turn and of launching its fighter plans in order to intercept the plane of the terrorists. The aircraft carrier makes take off two F-14 Tomcat S and a plane of air monitoring and airborne command, a E-2 Hawkeye in hardly 22 minutes, instead of the 60 minutes normally necessary taking into account the level of alarm in which US Saratoga at this time is. Since the exact hour of takeoff and the route of the plane of the terrorists are unknown, the planes have as an instruction to identify of night all the planes crossing in the Mediterranean on the supposed course of the Egyptian plane. It is only at the end of the fourth identification, 45 minutes after their takeoff, that the planes intercept their target right in the south of the island of Crête.

F-14 passed a little more than six hours and half in flight, whereas they have a theoretical endurance of approximately two hours before having to supply. They thus consumed more than nine tons of fuel each one to achieve their mission. The eighteen tons necessary were delivered by four tankers A-6 of the air fleet of Saratoga.

The Tunisian government initially, then the Greek refuse the landing, objecting the safety of the passengers. The American hunters decide to hijack the plane on the basis of U.S. Navy with Sigonella in Sicily. The US president, without to have informed the Italian government before, seeks to contact Craxi which, opposed by this improvisation, accepts the landing but, in secrecy, orders with the military authorities that the terrorists and the mediators are put under the control of the Italian authorities.

At this stage, the rupture is consumed. After midnight, with the landing, the VAM (Military Aeronautical Vigilance) encircles the plane. In their turn, the American soldiers of the Delta Forces surround them and claim the terrorists, which is refused to them. Lastly, a column of Carabiniers arrives, which encircles the American troops once again. With the least movement of the Americans, the VAM and the police officers, according to the orders of Craxi and from the President of the Republic Francesco Cossiga, would certainly have drawn. Reagan, furious because of the Italian behavior, orders to contact the persons in charge of the Italian government but not the President of the Council. Not having obtained a positive response, Reagan decides to telephone Craxi to require the provision of the terrorists. But Craxi does not change a position: the offenses were made on the Italian territory (the boat), and it is in Italy to rule. Reagan yields and withdraws its men of Sigonella.

The terrorists are stopped but not Abbas, that the Americans regard as the brain of the diversion. After a mediation between Egypt, the PLO and Italy, it is decided to make land the plane with Ciampino. A request for extradition arrives of the US government: the request is received by the Minister for the Graces and the Justice Mino Martinazzoli, who does not hold Abbas for culprit on the basis of existing evidence (even if he will be condemned to the imprisonment by the court of Genoa). In great secrecy, Craxi authorizes Abbas to be taken refuge with Belgrade and thus to escape the American continuations.

In an interview with Repubblica in May 1998, Abbas affirms that the diversion of Achilles Lauro and the death of Klinghoffer were a tragedy error: Our objective was very different, we wanted to make enter a commando to Israel by using the boat as means of transport to launch an attack against a military base israélienne.

Abbas is captured by the American special forces with Baghdad in April 2003, before dying at the 56 years age the March 8th 2004 of a Heart attack, whereas it is held by the American forces.

Italian interior policy, the Spadolini-Craxi opposition

After these events, a great division appears inside the majority which is composed of five parties. Spadolini, philosophy-American and philosophy-Israeli require the resignation of the government, which receives the support of the Italian Communist party. This one, although in the opposition, supports and supports the management of the crisis of Sigonella. Only the republican ministers, the October 16th, withdraw their delegation of the government and open, so the crisis. It is a duel between philosophy-American and philosophy-Palestinian, the latter having had in Craxi and Andreotti the best representatives. Reagan writes a letter with Craxi starting with Dear Bettino in which it invites the President of the Council to go on a journey to the United States, travels cancelled because of the political situation. The November 6th, the government obtains the confidence of the House of Commons and the speech of Craxi is applauded even by the communist opposition.

Protagonists

The terrorists four are:

Youssef Al-Molqi
Ibrahim Fatayer Abdelatif
Bassam Al-Asker
Ahmad Marrouf Al-Assadi

Diplomatic actors:

Internal bonds

Achilles Lauro

Catalog of films

In 1990, Broadway devotes to Leon Klinghoffer an opera put in scene by Peter Sellars (“Death off Kling-hoffer”) and Hollywood a film (“" Achilles-Lauro" Affair”).

External bonds

international Intrigue: the business " Achilles Lauro" Storia siamo Noi - Spoke Educational
Téléjournal of the history '' the crisi di Sigonella '' of the storia siamo noi - Spoke Educational
Chronology of the events
the testimony of the admiral Martini, director of Sismi
the testimony of Gennaro Acquaviva, adviser of Craxi
homepage for NAS Sigonella
www.globalsecurity.org: NAS Sigonella

Sources

10/13/2007

Random links: