The Associated Press Sept. 25, 2001
ROME -- The Italian government has formally asked that an international summit aimed at fighting hunger be held at a seaside resort town instead of in Rome, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Monday. Last week, the U.N. agency, which is based in Rome, said it was in discussions with member nations about whether to postpone the gathering in the aftermath of the U.S. terrorist attacks.
The summit is scheduled for early November. Weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks, the Italian government had already begun lobbying for a new site for the meeting because it feared that Rome, with its rich archaeological and artistic treasures, could witness a replay of the bloody rioting and police clashes in Genoa during the July meeting of the leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations.
The U.N. agency said in a statement that the Italian government had offered to pick up the tab for moving the food summit from Rome to Rimini, across the peninsula on the Adriatic Sea. Rimini's many hotel rooms and conference sites figured in the Italian government's choice. A decision on Italy's request is expected to be reached by the beginning of next week, the U.N. agency said.:
