Bill To Protect Slovene Minority in Italy Postponed Until After Local Election

Rome, 21 March - SLOVENIA/ITALY/MINORITY
The Italian House of Representatives decided on Tuesday to continue the debate on the bill to protect the Slovene ethnic minority in Italy in one month's time, that is only after the local election scheduled for 16 April. The proposal for postponement came from Speaker Luciano Violante. However, Italian MPs ratified the agreement between the Italian, Slovene and Hungarian governments to form an international trilateral brigade. The agreement was signed by all three sides in April 1998.