“The breakthrough on Ustica is historic. Meloni’s effectiveness must be recognised.” Verini (PD) speaks out

“Not yet a milestone, but an important step,” says Walter Verini. “Today has been a good day, for the memory of the victims of the Ustica massacre and for the dignity of the Italian State. The pain cannot be undone, but democracy stands to gain: in this way we can heal the civil wound of a country that must know the truth.” The turning point came after the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office withdrew its request to close the investigation into one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Republic, when scheduled flight IH870 was shot down under circumstances that have never been clarified on 27 June 1980, resulting in the deaths of all 81 people on board. Today, the outlook is changing: for the first time, France – which is suspected of having been accidentally involved in the tragedy – has declared itself willing to cooperate, thanks to the intervention of the victims’ families, the Italian government and those, such as the Democratic Party senator, who have never stopped fighting to uncover the truth. This includes engaging in fruitful dialogue with Giorgia Meloni, “because in situations like this, it is only right that the government and the opposition pull together in the same direction.”

“Our stance has always been not to shelve the case,” Verini begins, speaking to Il Foglio. “Yet, several months ago, when the public prosecutor’s office made the request, it did so by emphasising a clear point: that evening, an act of war took place; there were allied aircraft that carried out an unauthorised manoeuvre in Italian airspace, causing the aircraft to crash; since France is not cooperating – and this is the investigators’ key argument – we found ourselves forced to request that the case be dismissed. This request itself contained a key justification: there is a lack of evidence to proceed, whilst acknowledging the act of war. It was Cossiga who, back in 2008, was the first to admit the responsibility of the French aircraft tracking the Libyan MiG in which Gaddafi was due to travel – having been warned in good time not to fly on that aircraft. Then, fifteen years later, came that famous interview with Giuliano Amato, who told La Repubblica: ‘France must speak out and say what it knows’. Two former prime ministers who urged the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office to issue a letter of request to France.”

Yet it would have come to nothing once again, were it not for ‘the pressure from so many people calling for the facts to be formally and unequivocally established’, continues Verini, highlighting the active role played by Daria Bonfietti: a former senator for the DS, co-founder of the association of relatives of the victims of the Ustica air disaster and sister of Alberto, who died in the disaster. “A couple of months ago, the Antibes summit was scheduled. At that point, Bonfietti launched an appeal, realising it would be an important direct opportunity: I took some discreet steps with the Prime Minister, on behalf of the MPs who have been following the case for some time. After the Strait of Hormuz, after the tariffs, Meloni could have raised the issue with Macron. A bilateral meeting offers the right degree of flexibility to do so effectively. And so Meloni did just that: on 27 June, the anniversary of the massacre, she informed both me and Bonfietti. Through Mantovano”, the Under-Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office, “she also urged the public prosecutor’s office to oppose the case being dropped. We were aware of Macron’s simultaneous overture, but in agreement with Meloni we felt it appropriate to keep the information confidential. Until today.”

It took the combined efforts of all the institutions, regardless of political affiliation. “I have been following the Ustica case since ’96, when I was chief of staff to the then minister Walter Veltroni,” explains the Democratic Party official. “It was he who introduced me to Bonfietti and tasked me with handling this case. NATO began cooperating even back then, but always within certain limits. And so did other Italian governments. Today, Meloni’s role in this affair must be acknowledged: the other day, Bonfietti rang her to thank her. And Mattarella’s efforts must also be remembered, as they have always been of great institutional significance. On certain issues, we go beyond party politics. It is right that this should be the case – not to mention that Meloni and the right have always been inclined to support the air battle theory. In this case, the Prime Minister did what she had to do, spurred on by us MPs and by Macron’s encouraging input. Sometimes perseverance does yield results. So far, there have only been suspicious suicides, a great deal of opacity and attempts to throw the investigation off track. But the only thing that is certain is that, on that evening 46 years ago, all the radar stations were silenced. And that 81 people died.”