Berlusconi declares end to rubbish crisis; protesters vow to go on

Oct 30, 2010, 8:07 GMT

Naples/Rome - Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has reached an agreement with mayors in southern Italy that he predicts will put an end to the rubbish collection crisis in the Naples area, local media reported in the night to Saturday.

The government has pledged, among other things, to introduce a law by the end of next week that would shelve highly controversial plans to open a second garbage dump in the Vesuvius National Park.

It also agreed to limit the rubbish that can be brought to the existing Sari landfill near Terzigno to dry garbage in a bid to avoid smelly seepage, Berlusconi said.

The mayors in return promised to immediately end the protests that have gripped the region for days.

But whether they will succeed remains to be seen. The demonstrators who have set up camp at the Sari landfill said they would proceed with their protests, Italian media reported.

A march against the region's garbage dumps had been planned for Saturday afternoon.

The last few weeks have been marked by sometimes violent clashes between the population and the police over the new dump and the stench at the existing landfill. Numerous people have been injured, while several trash trucks have been set on fire.

In the meantime, more than 2,000 tons of garbage have piled up in the streets of Naples and the surrounding area.

European Union officials in Brussels had warned last week that they were mulling whether to impose hefty fines on Italy for its failure to handle the situation. Berlusconi had at the time pledged to solve the crisis 'within 10 days.'

In a surprise move, the Italian premier flew straight to Naples after attending an EU summit in Brussels to hold the special session with the mayors late Friday.

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