Foreign Digest, Western Europe: France, Italy, the European Union, and the United Kingdom

France and Italy: France finally arrested 8 Leftist militants wanted by Italy after having been convicted for militancy, including murders, during the “Years of Lead” from the 1970s to the ‘80s, while two other fugitives turned themselves in to authorities after being charged. During that period, there was much violence by extreme factions, particularly by the Red Brigades, a Marxist organization, among which several of the fugitives sought in France were members. The Red Brigades is most infamous for kidnapping and killing Christian Democratic Party leader and ex-Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1979. The militants now face extradition to Italy, but the process will take two to three years under French law. Italians hailed the arrests as serving justice. The French Socialist Government of Francois Mitterand had harbored militants, but the current President noted the policy, which was for those who renounced violence, ought not to include those responsible for crimes of blood. Brazil had also been among the countries that had harbored militant Italian fugitives convicted of crimes. After originally declining to extradite a long-sought Italian Leftist militant who had been convicted of murder, Brazil appeared to be open to considering the evidence. The fugitive fled to Bolivia after its leftist government was forced from power, which then extradited him to Italy. Former Brazilian center-left President Inacio Lula recently apologized to Italy for failing to extradite him because he had disbelieved the truth about the militant. Several other foreign States harbor other fugitive Italian militants from the Years of Lead, but France had protected the most. The European Union Parliament has again voted in favor of the extradition of a Red Brigades terrorist being harbored by the Marxist Sandinista government of Nicaragua. The European Union and the United Kingdom: A commercial accord between the European Union and the United Kingdom was ratified by the EU Parliament. Fishing rights and customs were among the major subjects. The agreement keeps in place the arrangement between the British province of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. The British withdrawal from the EU had been approved by both parties last year, after a 2016 referendum in which Britons voted to withdraw from the EU.