Rome, 7 June 1994

1 - FOR THE REFERENDUMS AND THE REFORM

The Prime Minister thinks that for all the requests for referendums advanced it is first of all necessary to ensure, contrary to what has been done in the past, citizens' full right to take cognizance of them in order to be able to judge; to that end it was assume all initiatives of its competence.

Namely, as far as the electoral referendums are concerned, whose aim is to abolish the strong proportional correction and to introduce the single-ballot Anglo-Saxon system, the President believes - as already underlines by the Prime Ministers in the reply to the debate on the confidence - that this initiative is capable of giving a decisive contribution for the completion of the institutional and political reform which the 9th legislature and the popular vote of 18 April 1993 has only just started.

Thus, the president will support this reform in all fora, if necessary assuming its own legislative initiative.

The president will assume a similar commitment in relation to the requests for referendums that aim to the introduction of liberal and liberalist market rules.

2 - ON THE "DRUG" PROBLEM

In this context, it is necessary to carry out the referendum on narcotics. In such context, while a strong policy of struggle against the criminal drug market will continue, more appropriate measures will be taken as soon as possible for the respect of citizens, both physicians and drug users, for a reduction of social and medical damage, thus completing the commitments taken by the previous Amato and Ciampi administrations.

An international public conference will be called on the social costs and benefits of the current world strategies against drugs and on the concrete possibilities of reforming the U.N. conventions of 1961 and 1963 regarding the struggle against drug addiction.

Enclosed are the subjects discussed during the last national conference on drugs promoted by the Prime Minister Ciampi in June 1993 in Palermo, according to the positions that had already been outlined by the Amato administration and which the current government will carry out with the necessary urgency.

3 - FOREIGN AND HUMAN RIGHTS, PLANETARY JURISDICTION POLICY

A) The Italian Government will officially meet the Dalai Lama on the occasion of his upcoming visit to Italy, during which the Dalai Lama will be received also by the President of the Republic. In such way, as urged by the majority of the public and namely by the radical party, the Governments assumed the responsibility innovating also compared to the recent past, reaching the position of the Western governments that are more attentive towards the safeguard of human, civil and political rights in the world.

B) The Prime Minister pledges to request the institution of a permanent penal court at the United Nations to prosecute crimes against humanity.

The government will immediately adopt all initiatives allowing the International Law Commission, the body of the United Nations General Assembly, which is currently developing the draft statute of the Court, to conclude its work by July and to immediately forward the draft to the Assembly.

The Italian government will do all it can to allow the General Assembly to pass the statute during its 49th session, scheduled for September/December 1994 and to call an international conference to institute a permanent penal court. To that end, the Government will charge Mrs Emma Bonino with the task of expressing the Italian orientation in the meeting of the Assembly focusing on such subjects.

In the meanwhile Italy will exert pressure on the United Nations to ask it to appoint the public prosecutor at the International ad hoc court on war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.