Ground Screening Is Country's Preference

Italy opposes using armed guards on transatlantic flights, preferring tough pre-boarding measures instead, the interior minister said in an interview published on Saturday. "The best strategy for us is to concentrate all of our energies on pre-boarding controls," Giuseppe Pisanu told la Repubblica daily following US calls for the introduction of so-called sky marshals on some flights. "A figure like the sky marshal would require... extraordinary training and capabilities. The number of specialists that could be prepared would be reduced and wouldn't allow us to cover all the flights," he added.

The United States has tried to convince skeptical European Union countries of the need for armed guards on selected flights, but the requests have sparked criticism from some members worried about the risk to passengers of guns on board. Last month, the European Commission transport spokesman said most EU countries were undecided or not in favor, with only France and Britain ready to accept sky marshals in some cases.

Pisanu said on Saturday that measures like tougher controls were already ensuring greater safety on Italian flights. He cited better controls of personal identification papers, baggage, pre-boarding security checks and the installation of barriers to the pilots' cabins. "Naturally, if there were no other alternatives we also would adopt the use of sky marshals, but we will continue to focus on prevention," he added.

In December and January several Air France and British Airways flights were cancelled after security alerts, decisions which Pisanu said were "justified" given the information available.

FMI: www.enac-italia.it/organization.htm