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| ==Controversies== | ==Controversies== | ||
| {{Importance-section|date=September 2014}} | {{Importance-section|date=September 2014}} | ||
| In 2007, in an ironic<ref name="ironic1" >{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/aug/18/francesco-cossiga-obituary|title=Francesco Cossiga obituary|author=Donald Sassoon|work=the Guardian|accessdate=3 August 2015}}</ref><ref name="ironic2" >{{cite web|url=http://www.conspiracywatch.info/Cossiga-l-ancien-president-italien-enrole-de-force-par-les-conspirationnistes_a611.html|title=Cossiga, l'ancien président italien enrôlé de force par les conspirationnistes|author=Rudy Reichstadt|work=Conspiracy Watch / Observatoire du conspirationnisme|accessdate=3 August 2015}}</ref> statement published by the Italian newspaper '']'', Cossiga commented on the ] and on a video attributed to Osama Bin Laden 2001. He wrote that "all democratic circles in America and of Europe, especially those of the Italian centre-left, now know that the disastrous attack was planned and realized by the American CIA and Mossad with the help of the Zionist world, to place the blame on Arab countries and to persuade the Western powers to intervene in Iraq and Afghanistan".<ref name=osama>{{Cite news|journal=Corriere della Sera|date=30 November 2007|title=Osama-Berlusconi? "Trappola giornalistica"|url=http://www.corriere.it/politica/07_novembre_30/osama_berlusconi_cossiga_27f4ccee-9f55-11dc-8807-0003ba99c53b.shtml|accessdate=5 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Scherer|first1=Steve|last2=Totaro|first2=Lorenzo|publisher=Bloomberg|title=Francesco Cossiga, Italy's Combative Ex-President, Dies at 82|date=17 August 2010|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-17/francesco-cossiga-italy-s-combative-former-president-dies-at-age-82.html|accessdate=20 August 2010 |
In 2007, in an ironic<ref name="ironic1" >{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/aug/18/francesco-cossiga-obituary|title=Francesco Cossiga obituary|author=Donald Sassoon|work=the Guardian|accessdate=3 August 2015}}</ref><ref name="ironic2" >{{cite web|url=http://www.conspiracywatch.info/Cossiga-l-ancien-president-italien-enrole-de-force-par-les-conspirationnistes_a611.html|title=Cossiga, l'ancien président italien enrôlé de force par les conspirationnistes|author=Rudy Reichstadt|work=Conspiracy Watch / Observatoire du conspirationnisme|accessdate=3 August 2015}}</ref> statement published by the Italian newspaper '']'', Cossiga commented on the ] and on a video attributed to Osama Bin Laden 2001. He wrote that "all democratic circles in America and of Europe, especially those of the Italian centre-left, now know that the disastrous attack was planned and realized by the American CIA and Mossad with the help of the Zionist world, to place the blame on Arab countries and to persuade the Western powers to intervene in Iraq and Afghanistan".<ref name=osama>{{Cite news|journal=Corriere della Sera|date=30 November 2007|title=Osama-Berlusconi? "Trappola giornalistica"|url=http://www.corriere.it/politica/07_novembre_30/osama_berlusconi_cossiga_27f4ccee-9f55-11dc-8807-0003ba99c53b.shtml|accessdate=5 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Scherer |first1=Steve |last2=Totaro |first2=Lorenzo |publisher=Bloomberg |title=Francesco Cossiga, Italy's Combative Ex-President, Dies at 82 |date=17 August 2010 |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-17/francesco-cossiga-italy-s-combative-former-president-dies-at-age-82.html |accessdate=20 August 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20100821074643/http://www.bloomberg.com:80/news/2010-08-17/francesco-cossiga-italy-s-combative-former-president-dies-at-age-82.html |archivedate=21 August 2010 }}</ref> However, the previous year Cossiga had stated that he rejects theoretical conspiracies and that it "seems unlikely that September 11 was the result of an American plot."<ref>http://archivio.lastampa.it/LaStampaArchivio/main/History/tmpl_viewObj.jsp?objid=7190957{{Cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/18/francesco-cossiga-obituary | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Donald | last=Sassoon | title=Francesco Cossiga obituary | date=18 August 2010}}</ref> | ||
| In the same ironic<ref name="ironic1" /><ref name="ironic2" /> statement, Cossiga claimed that a video tape circulated by ]'s ] and containing threats against ] was "produced in the studios of ] in Milan" and forwarded to the "Islamist Al-Jazeera television network." The purpose of that video tape (which was actually an audio tape) was to raise "a wave of solidarity to Berlusconi" who was, at the time, facing political difficulties.<ref name=osama /> | In the same ironic<ref name="ironic1" /><ref name="ironic2" /> statement, Cossiga claimed that a video tape circulated by ]'s ] and containing threats against ] was "produced in the studios of ] in Milan" and forwarded to the "Islamist Al-Jazeera television network." The purpose of that video tape (which was actually an audio tape) was to raise "a wave of solidarity to Berlusconi" who was, at the time, facing political difficulties.<ref name=osama /> | ||
Revision as of 05:06, 26 August 2015
| Senator for lifeFrancesco CossigaOMRI | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 8th President of Italy | |
| In office 3 July 1985 – 28 April 1992 | |
| Prime Minister | Bettino Craxi Amintore Fanfani Giovanni Goria Ciriaco De Mita Giulio Andreotti |
| Preceded by | Sandro Pertini |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Luigi Scalfaro |
| 42nd Prime Minister of Italy | |
| In office 4 August 1979 – 18 October 1980 | |
| President | Alessandro Pertini |
| Preceded by | Giulio Andreotti |
| Succeeded by | Arnaldo Forlani |
| President of the Italian Senate | |
| In office 12 July 1983 – 3 July 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Vittorino Colombo |
| Succeeded by | Amintore Fanfani |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 12 February 1976 – 11 May 1978 | |
| Prime Minister | Aldo Moro Giulio Andreotti |
| Preceded by | Luigi Gui |
| Succeeded by | Virginio Rognoni |
| Minister for the organization of the public administration and the Regions | |
| In office 23 November 1974 – 12 February 1976 | |
| Prime Minister | Aldo Moro |
| Preceded by | Luigi Gui |
| Succeeded by | Tommaso Morlino |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1928-07-26)26 July 1928 Sassari, Sardinia, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 17 August 2010(2010-08-17) (aged 82) Rome, Latium, Italy |
| Political party | DC (1945–1994) PPI (1994–1998) UDR (1998–1999) UDEUR (1999–2002) UDC (2002–2010) |
| Spouse(s) |
Giuseppa Sigurani
(m. 1960–1998) |
| Children | Anna Maria (b. in 1961) Giuseppe (1963) |
| Alma mater | University of Sassari |
Francesco Cossiga OMRI (Template:IPA-it; July 26, 1928 – August 17, 2010) was an Italian politician of the Christian Democracy party. He was the 42nd Prime Minister of Italy from 1979 to 1980 and the eighth President of Italy from 1985 to 1992. He was also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Sassari.
Cossiga was born in Sassari in the north of Sardinia. He started his political career during World War II. His name is now usually pronounced Template:IPA-it, but it was originally pronounced Template:IPA-it, with the stress on the first syllable, meaning "Corsica" in Sassarese. He was the cousin of Enrico Berlinguer.
Minister for the Christian Democrats
He was a minister several times for the Democrazia Cristiana party (DC), notably during his stay at Viminale (Ministry for internal affairs) where he re-structured the Italian police, civil protection and secret services.
He was in office at the time of the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro by Red Brigades, and resigned when Moro was found dead in 1978. According to Italian journalist Enrico Deaglio, Cossiga, to justify his lack of action, "accused the leaders of CGIL and of the Italian Communist Party of knowing where Moro was detained". Cossiga was also minister of internal affairs when Fascist terrorists bombed Bologna station in 1980. Francesco Cossiga first assumed the explosion to have been caused by an accident (the explosion of an old boiler located in the basement of the station). Later, in a special session to the Senate, Cossiga supported the theory that neofascists were behind the attack, "unlike leftist terrorism, which strikes at the heart of the state through its representatives, black terrorism prefers massacre because it promotes panic and impulsive reactions."
Cossiga was elected President of the Italian Senate 12 July 1983, a position he held until 24 June 1985, when he became the President of Italy.
Election as President of Italy
Following his resignation as president of the Senate in 1985, Cossiga was elected as President of Italy. This was the first time an Italian presidential candidate had won on the first ballot (where a two thirds majority is necessary).
It was not until his last two years as President that Cossiga began to express some unusual opinions regarding the Italian political system. He opined that the Italian parties, especially the DC (his own party) and Italian Communist Party, had to take into account the deep changes brought about by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.
These statements, soon dubbed "esternazioni", or "mattock blows" (picconate), were considered by many to be inappropriate for a President, and often beyond his constitutional powers; also, his mental health was doubted and Cossiga had to declare "I am the fake madman who speaks the truth." Cossiga suffered from bipolar disorder and depression in the last years of his life.
Tension developed between Cossiga and Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti. This tension emerged when Andreotti revealed the existence of Gladio, a stay-behind organization with the official aim of countering a possible Soviet invasion through sabotage and guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. Cossiga acknowledged his involvement in the establishment of the organization. The Democratic Party of the Left (successor to the Communist Party) started the procedure of impeachment (Presidents of Italy can be impeached only for high treason against the State or for an attempt to overthrow the Constitution). Although he threatened to prevent the impeachment procedure by dissolving Parliament, the impeachment request was ultimately dismissed.
Cossiga resigned two months before the end of his term, on 25 April 1992.
Life senator
According to the Italian Constitution, after his resignation from the office of President, Cossiga became lifetime senator, joining his predecessors in the upper house of parliament, with whom he also shared the title of President Emeritus of the Italian Republic.
In February 1998, Cossiga created the Unione Democratica per la Repubblica (a political party), declaring it to be politically central. The UDR was a crucial component of the majority that supported the D'Alema government in October 1998, after the fall of the Prodi government which lost a vote of confidence.
Cossiga declared that his support for D'Alema was intended to end the conventional exclusion of the former Communist Party (PCI) leaders from the premiership in Italy.
In 1999 UDR was dissolved and Cossiga returned to his activities as a senator, with competences in the Military Affairs' Commission.
In May 2006 he brought in a bill that would allow the region of South Tyrol to hold a referendum, where the local electorate could decide whether to remain within the Republic of Italy, take independence, or become part of Austria again.
On 27 November 2006, he resigned from his position as a lifetime senator. His resignation was, however, rejected on 31 January 2007 by a vote of the Senate.
Cossiga died on 17 August 2010 from respiratory problems.
Controversies
 | This section may contain information not important or relevant to the article's subject. Please help improve this section. (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In 2007, in an ironic statement published by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Cossiga commented on the 11 September attacks and on a video attributed to Osama Bin Laden 2001. He wrote that "all democratic circles in America and of Europe, especially those of the Italian centre-left, now know that the disastrous attack was planned and realized by the American CIA and Mossad with the help of the Zionist world, to place the blame on Arab countries and to persuade the Western powers to intervene in Iraq and Afghanistan". However, the previous year Cossiga had stated that he rejects theoretical conspiracies and that it "seems unlikely that September 11 was the result of an American plot."
In the same ironic statement, Cossiga claimed that a video tape circulated by Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda and containing threats against Silvio Berlusconi was "produced in the studios of Mediaset in Milan" and forwarded to the "Islamist Al-Jazeera television network." The purpose of that video tape (which was actually an audio tape) was to raise "a wave of solidarity to Berlusconi" who was, at the time, facing political difficulties.
In 2008, Francesco Cossiga said that Mario Draghi was "a craven moneyman".
Cossiga attributed the cause of the crash of the Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870, killing all on board, while en route from Bologna to Palermo, in 1980, to a missile fired from a French Navy aircraft. On 23 January 2013 Italy’s top criminal court ruled that there was "abundantly" clear evidence that the flight was brought down by a missile.
Honours and awards
As President of the Republic, Cossiga was Head (and also Knight Grand Cross with Grand Cordon) of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (from 3 July 1985 to 28 April 1992), Military Order of Italy, Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, Order of Merit for Labour and Order of Vittorio Veneto and Grand Cross of Merit of the Italian Red Cross. He has also been given honours and awards by other countries.
References
- ^ Page at Senate website Template:It icon.
- See http://www.dizionario.rai.it/poplemma.aspx?lid=75285&r=424.
- Template:It icon Mio cugino Berlinguer: Cossiga racconta un leader (Cossiga talking about Enrico Berlinguer in an interview to Gian Antonio Stella – Corriere della Sera, 10 June 2004) Template:It icon
- Sassoon, Donald (18 August 2010). "Francesco Cossiga obituary". The Guardian.
- Deaglio, Enrico (18 August 2010). "La lepre marzolina che attraversò la storia senza pagar dazio". L'Unità.
- "Police search starts for Bologna bombers". The Globe and Mail. 5 August 1980.
- "Neo-Fascists 'Prefer Massacre'". Reuters. 6 August 1980.
- ^ The Washington Post: Veteran Italian politician Cossiga dies
- "I medici: da Pasqua smise di curarsi". corriere.it. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- Bloomberg: Francesco Cossiga, Italy's Combative Former President, Dies at Age 82
- "Italy: Former president Francesco Cossiga dies at 82 - Adnkronos Politics". adnkronos.com. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- Template:It icon Il Sole 24 ore: Occhetto, lo strappo mai ricucito su Gladio
- Template:It icon La Repubblica: Il PDS vota l'impeachment di Cossiga (4 December 1991)
- Template:It icon La Repubblica: E l'uomo grigio prese il piccone (26 April 1992)
- Template:It icon Cossiga's activity as a Senator, on the Senate's website
- Cossiga, Francesco (8 June 2006). "Riconoscimento del diritto di autodeterminazione al Land Südtyrol – Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano" (PDF). Disegno di Legge Costituzionale N. 592. Senato della Repubblica XV Legislatura. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Donald Sassoon. "Francesco Cossiga obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ^ Rudy Reichstadt. "Cossiga, l'ancien président italien enrôlé de force par les conspirationnistes". Conspiracy Watch / Observatoire du conspirationnisme. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ^ "Osama-Berlusconi? "Trappola giornalistica"". Corriere della Sera. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
- Scherer, Steve; Totaro, Lorenzo (17 August 2010). "Francesco Cossiga, Italy's Combative Ex-President, Dies at 82". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - http://archivio.lastampa.it/LaStampaArchivio/main/History/tmpl_viewObj.jsp?objid=7190957Sassoon, Donald (18 August 2010). "Francesco Cossiga obituary". The Guardian. London.
- Francesco Cossiga told that during an interview at the morning television program "Uno Mattina", Rai Uno Video on YouTube
- "Italian court: Missile caused 1980 Mediterranean plane crash; Italy must pay compensation". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 23 January 2013.
- "Le confessioni di Cossiga: 'Io, Gelli e la massoneria'". La Repubblica. 11 October 2003. (on links between Cossiga, Licio Gelli and Propaganda Due masonic lodge; Massera, part of Videla's junta in Argentina, is also named)
- Obituary – Fox news
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byTitle jointly held | Italian Minister without portfolio 1974–1976 |
Succeeded byTitle jointly held |
| Preceded byLuigi Gui | Italian Minister of the Interior 1976–1978 |
Succeeded byVirginio Rognoni |
| Preceded byGiulio Andreotti | Prime Minister of Italy 1979–1980 |
Succeeded byArnaldo Forlani |
| Preceded bySandro Pertini | President of the Italian Republic 1985–1992 |
Succeeded byOscar Luigi Scalfaro |
| Italian Senate | ||
| Preceded byTitle jointly held | Senator Legislatures IX 1983–1985 |
Succeeded byTitle jointly held |
| Preceded byVittorino Colombo | President of the Italian Senate 1983–1985 |
Succeeded byAmintore Fanfani |
| Preceded byTitle jointly held | Lifetime Senator Legislatures XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI 1992–2010 |
Succeeded byTitle jointly held |
| Italian Chamber of Deputies | ||
| Preceded byTitle jointly held | Member of Parliament for Sardinia Legislatures III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII 1958–1983 |
Succeeded byTitle jointly held |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded byMasayoshi Ohira | Chair of the G7 1980 |
Succeeded byPierre Trudeau |
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| 9/11 conspiracy theories | |
|---|---|
| Key topics | |
| Groups | |
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| Books | |
 Category | |
Categories:
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- 1928 births
- 2010 deaths
- People from Sassari
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