Italy's government wants to move this summer's Group of Eight summit from Sardinia to earthquake-stricken L'Aquila _ both to save money and to give the devastated central region an economic boost, AP reported. Premier Silvio Berlusconi told a news conference Today after a Cabinet meeting in L'Aquila that the cost of holding the July 8-10 summit on the Sardinian island of La Maddalena would be ¤220 million ($285 million). Berlusconi said that money would be better spent on reconstruction efforts in Italy's Abruzzo region. He gave no figure for how much it would cost to host the summit in L'Aquila, but maintained the move would save money. The April 6 quake killed 295 people, drove some 50,000 from their homes and toppled or heavily damaged thousands of buildings around the mountain city of L'Aquila. But with L'Aquila just a one-hour drive from Rome, Berlusconi insisted there were enough hotels and conference venues for delegates and journalists. And he said demonstrators might think twice before marching on the quake-devastated region, as opposed to a deluxe seaside resort in Sardinia. Italian media had previously reported that the government was having trouble organizing the summit on La Maddalena and finding ships that were to host the delegations and journalists. But Italian organizers denied there were any such problems. The island, selected by Berlusconi's predecessor Romano Prodi, had a U.S. Navy support base that was closed last year and was undergoing extensive construction to prepare for the summit. Moving the G-8 venue is «a symbolic gesture that would help keep attention focused on Abruzzo,» said center-left opposition leader Dario Franceschini. «But I hope the government will keep in mind that this decision must not hinder the reconstruction.»
