The war in the Gulf has whetted the appetite of the Italian war industries, which have been suffering a long crisis caused to the explosion of peace throughout the world. They had even been forced to suffer the new, stricter discipline on the control of arms sales passed by Italian Parliament on 9th July 1990.

But with Saddam Hussein's military initiative of 2 August, they sensed new possibilities were opening up for a reprise of business, and did all they could to boycott or at least delay the the new legislation from coming into force. Bill n.185, passed on 9th July 1990, providing "New norms on the control of the exportation, importation and transit of arms material" postpones its effective entrance into force until the enforcement regulations are passed. With due pressures, they have succeeded in preventing these regulations from been issued, following which the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic could announce the good news: "considering that the enforcement regulations of bill n.185 of 9th July 1990, necessary to activate the new authorization and control procedures provided for by that bill have not yet come in force", the previous legislation will be used, the same one that in the past ensured complete freedom of action and absence of controls to the "death merchants".