Italy, Greece turn to technocrats to salvage economy

Fazle Rashid NEW YORK, Nov 11: Italy and Greece both in dire economic straits will be looking to technocrats to salvage the sinking economies. Greece has already named Lucas Papademos former vice president of the European Central Bank to be the prime minister of an interim government with the sole purpose of preventing the country from collapsing. In Italy Mario Monti a former European Commissioner will take over from once invincible Silvio Berlusconi on Monday. The question being asked in both the countries can the technocrats succeed where elected leaders have failed, whether pressure from the European Union and whipping by the financial market "will be strong enough to dislodge the entrenched cultures of political patronage that the experts blame for the slow growth and financial crises that plague both the nations", an analyst asked. Unesco in the meanwhile has frozen all its activities after US threatened to suspend its contribution to the body in the wake of the agency accepting Palestine as a full member. The Unesco will trim its budget, put all spending under review, restrict travel and publications and freeze all new projects. Washington has stopped providing funding including $65 million for 2011 budget under a law that stipulates suspension of funding to UN agencies that recognises Palestine as a full member state. The United States provides 22 per cent of Unesco budget. Gabon in support of full membership of Palestine announced it would pay an additional $2 million for this year's budget. In another development two important International Human Rights Groups have urged the Arab League to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court for committing crimes against humanity. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch urged Arab League to support the move by the United Nations Security Council to refer Syria to ICC and impose arm embargo on Syria. Arab League will sit in Cairo on Saturday to review Syria's failure to comply with an agreement in which Asad agreed to release all political prisoners, withdraw troops from the streets and start dialogue with pro-democracy activists for political reforms.