Renzi interviews himself on Saudi Arabia. Claim the reports and money received. And attacks Pd-M5s-Leu: “United only against me”

He had promised that he would call a press conference to clarify his relationship with the Saudi regime, eventually decided to self-interview. Matteo Renzi, in the face of requests from Pd-M5s-Leu of explanations on the links with the prince Bin Salman and on its participation in Riad to the events of the foundation Future Investment Initiative Institute (of whose advisory board he is a member with a fee up to 80 thousand euros per year), has decided to publish an Enews where he asks himself the questions and gives the answers. Just yesterday, the Biden administration released a CIA report who directly accuses the prince of the heinous murder of the journalist Khashoggi. The Saudi prince himself “interviewed” by the leader of Italy alive, during a conference for which he flew to Riyadh in the midst of Count 2’s government crisis: an interview then released on Youtube in which the former prime minister speaks enthusiastically of an alleged “new Renaissance” in Saudi Arabia and goes so far as to say that he envies their “labor cost”. According to Pd-M5s-Leu, the clarification now, in the light of the CIA accusations, is no longer just a question of “opportunity”, but a matter of “national interest“.

Today Renzi, self-interviewing himself, claims not only the reports, but also the money received. And he attacks former government allies, saying that “they can only be united against him”. “You, Matteo Renzi, do you carry out conference-style activities or participate in advisory boards or cultural activities or teaching positions at universities outside Italy? ”, is question 1, or the one that should clarify the question of remuneration. “Answer: Yes. I carry out activities foreseen by the law and receive a fee on which I pay taxes in Italy. My tax return is public. Everything is perfectly legal and legitimate“. To avoid going into the details of 80 thousand euros, then Renzi spares himself the second question and immediately moves on to a question concerning alleged funding for Italian parties: “Your party, Pd first and Italia Viva then, has received funding from foreign governments – or related agencies – for its own political activity? “. “Answer. No. The Democratic Party under my management and Italia Viva since its birth have never received money from foreign governments or structures connected to them. I hope that all the other parties can say so, starting with those who in the past have established strategic relations with Venezuela ”. A reference to a story raised by the Spanish newspaper Abc last June on alleged funding for the M5s, denied by the Caracas embassy which spoke of a “counterfeit document”. And that at the moment has not had any confirmation.

With the question of the money received and how these are linked to the Saudi regime filed in a few lines, Renzi moves on to relations with the prince accused by the CIA. Question 3, Renzi asks for some more details on relations with the Saudi regime. “Is it right to entertain them”? “Answer: Yes. Not only is it fair, but it is also necessary. Saudi Arabia is a bulwark against Islamic extremism and has been a major ally of the West for decades ”. And to support his thesis, he quotes the president of the United States: “Even in these hours the President Biden reaffirmed the need for this friendship in a phone call to King Salman. Biden, however, reiterated the need to proceed with more determination on the path of respect for rights. Let’s not forget that, until five years ago, women in Saudi Arabia could not even drive cars. The executions are falling from 184 in 2019 to 27 in 2020. But Biden asked rightly to do more. Especially on the question of respect for journalists. On which I refer to question number 5 ″. At this point another question would have been neededrather, on Renzi’s opportunity as a senator and party leader (he is not a head of state) to have relations with the Saudi regime. But even then, he decided not to have it.

Indeed, in question 4, Renzi asked himself to talk more about the program Vision 2030, that is the reform program wanted, financed and carried out by Bin Salman. “You have publicly praised the Vision 2030 program. Are you sorry you did it? ”. “Answer: No. I believe in this program. Vision2030 it is the greatest chance to modernize Saudi Arabia. And it is also a great opportunity for companies from all over the world who work there, including many Italians. Respecting human rights is a need that must be upheld. But those who know the point from which the Saudi regime started knows very well that Vision 2030 is the most important opportunity to develop innovation and to broaden rights ”. In short, Renzi no longer makes use of the unfortunate expression “new Renaissance”, already used publicly to magnify Saudi Arabia, but he certainly does not review his positions.

Finally, only to question 5, comes to talk about the heinous murder of the journalist Khashoggi, cut into pieces in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. “Why didn’t you, Matteo Renzi, condemn the tragic death of the Saudi journalist?” He asks himself. “Answer: I condemned that tragic event three years ago and I did it also in the interviews above, in all the newspapers of the world. Defending life-threatening journalists is everyone’s duty. I have always done it, even when I was alone, as in the 2015 European Council, for the arrested Turkish journalists. Defending the freedom of journalists is a duty, everywhere, from Saudi Arabia to Iran, from Russia to Turkey, from Venezuela to Cuba, to China ”.

So, at the end of his self-interview (“I never run away,” he says to himself), he talks about former government allies. And he attacks them for the requests for clarification that have arrived in these hours: “I am, moreover, happy because in recent weeks, after the end of the experience of the Conte government (the former prime minister, moreover, has resumed teaching in Florence, sincere wishes for a good job), the Five Stars, the Democratic Party and even Leu they are torn apart by internal controversies. They argue about everything, starting with government posts. I am really happy to be one of the rare reasons for unity: they come together just to shoot zero at me “. And he closes: “I’m only sorry that the Saudi story is used to cover up Italian internal difficulties and to justify an alliance where – as often happened to a certain left – we stand together against the opponent and not for an idea” .

–