Italian Cabinet to meet in crisis-hit Naples

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is moving the Cabinet to Naples today, vowing to clean the city’s streets of the rubbish that has piled up for months and become a stinking symbol of government inadequacy.

The Cabinet meeting today in the southern city is the first major initiative by Mr Berlusconi since he won the election last month. His campaign included a promise to return Naples to cleanliness and order.

Mr Berlusconi, who said he wanted to heal the wound of a city he loves, wants the meeting to be more than symbolic.

He is expected to announce immediate measures, which might include opening new dump sites and calling in the army to clean streets and restore order – a measure that was taken by his predecessor, Romano Prodi, but only partially implemented in some smaller towns in the region.

The Cabinet will also discuss measures to crack down on illegal immigration and street crime.

Neapolitans are awaiting the arrival of Mr Berlusconi and his ministers with the characteristic blend of fatalism and sarcasm.

“Sainthood Immediately for Berlusconi – if he eliminates trash and criminals!” read a poster on the city’s walls, a reference to the chants of “Sainthood Immediately” that erupted after the death of Pope John Paul II.