New Delhi
8 July 2005
Alto Adige, a small province in north-eastern Italy, may not be Jammu
and Kashmir but there could be lessons to be learnt by both India and Pakistan in
resolving the decades-old conflict that has bedevilled the sub-continent, feels the Italian
ambassador in India, Mr Antonio Armellini.
The envoy, who has returned from his maiden visit (June 30 to July 4) to Jammu and
Kashmir, says solutions of the Jammu and Kashmir issue currently being discussed by
India and Pakistan including making borders irrelevant or autonomy find a precedent in
the 'Alto Adige model' of conflict resolution.
Ethnic considerations may have been part of the problem in Alto Adige unlike religious
overtones in Jammu and Kashmir but, Mr Armellini believes, "making border immaterial"
or giving "special status" and "autonomy" helped resolve the conflict between Italy and
Austria and transform the region economically.
Dwelling on bilateral ties, the ambassador says economic cooperation is high on the
agenda. An Italian oil company is bidding for concessions in oil exploration in India. The
company, ENI, appears to be in the running for two blocks. The contracts are expected to
be awarded on July 31.
On his country's "opposition" to G-4 resolution on expanding the United Nations Security
Council, the Italian ambassador explains that it would be wrong to characterise so. "The
aim -- UN reform -- is the same but there could be differences in methodology," he says
in reference to Italy's membership of the 'Coffee Club'.
During his stay in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Armellini met with Chief Minister Mufti
Mohammed Sayeed and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of the All Party Hurriyat Conference. He
also inspected an Italian-funded project at the centre for maintenance of machinery and
equipment at the engineering college.
Historically, Trentino-Alto Adige was joined with the Austrian southern Tyrol and only
after the First World War the whole region was united with Italy. Soon ethnic problems
surfaced in the region. The region was subsequently recognised as an autonomous
region with special status.
Alto Adige is besides other 'models' suggested for resolving the conflict between India
and Pakistan over Kashmir. There is Northern Ireland and then Andorra, which is located
between France and Spain in southwestern Europe and is a principality of the two
European neighbours.
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