Elections and terrorist warnings, Italian style

Hmmm.

ROME, March 23 — An American travel advisory on possible dangers in Italy ballooned on Thursday into an issue in the close national election campaign here, with opposition politicians suggesting that the advisory could be used as ammunition against them.

Silvio Berlusconi, the center-right prime minister who is battling to remain in office, immediately seized on the advisory, saying that the "security concerns" addressed in it were caused by demonstrators aligned with the center-left opposition.

"I have the right and the duty to underline the danger of the political left that wishes to bring party leaders to Parliament who want to snuff out our opinions by using violence," Mr. Berlusconi said in Rome.

The travel advisory, issued by the State Department on its Web site this week, warned Americans to avoid large crowds, mentioning specifically a violent demonstration on March 11 in Milan carried out by anti-globalization activists.

The advisory, not as serious as a more formal travel warning, also spoke of "the continuing threat of terrorist attacks" in Italy, and mentioned Al Qaeda specifically.

Romano Prodi, Mr. Berlusconi's main opponent, who is supported by several leftist parties, was concerned enough by the implication that leftist demonstrators constituted a threat that he called the American ambassador, Ronald Spogli, for an explanation on Thursday.

"He explained to me that it is standard practice, but I remain very surprised," Mr. Prodi said on Italian radio on Thursday, referring to Mr. Spogli. "Because a move like this, with the elections so close, can bring with it a sense of anguish and fear, and there is no need for that."

Ben Duffy, a spokesman for the American Embassy, said that while such advisories were not common in Western Europe, Washington had issued 70 such advisories in the past year. A similar one was issued earlier this year as a result of widespread rioting on the outskirts of Paris.

Mr. Duffy said there was no intention for the embassy to become involved in Italian politics. The election is next month.

"We anticipated this as an issue," he said. "In Italy everything is about the campaign, and in fact this is done by the consular affairs bureau, an independent channel without regard to the political impact."

The Bush administration would never use a ratcheting up of the threat level to influence an election, would it?