Free Trieste

WHY FREE TRIESTE IS THE MAIN OBSTACLE TO THE ILLEGITIMATE “SOLUTION” OF THE INTERNATIONAL “QUESTION TRIESTE“

In 2013, Trieste Libera (the Free Trieste Movement, FTM from now on) became Trieste’s main political organization. The Movement stands for the rights of the present-day Free Territory of Trieste, established and recognized under the 1947 Treaty of Peace of 1947 as an independent State, currently under a provisional regime of Government.

Since 1954, Trieste’s temporary civil administration is sub-entrusted to the Italian Government under the MoU regarding the Free Territory of Trieste. The Free Territory has the only existing international Free Port, and it is under the UNSC’s own protection under Resolution S/RES/16 (1947).

The FTM, with its actions and documents, addresses both Italian authorities and the UN, seeking the re-establishment of the rule of law: indeed, in Trieste, there is a lobby of Italian authorities that instead of exercising the correct administration,  simulate Italian sovereignty in breach of the very Italian laws.

According to nationalistic propagandas, Italy gained full sovereignty over then “zone A” of the FTT in 1977, under the bilateral political Italian-Yugoslav agreement of Osimo.

Yet, the FTM has actually read that 1975 agreement, so its supporters know that it confirms (art. 7) the 1954 MoU which (as confirmed by the US Department of State) hasn’t changed the Free Territory’s legal status.

The FTM’s claims regard only the present-day FTT (s.c. “Zone A”) with its international Free Port. The question of former Zone B is settled in 1991-92, with the area’s incorporation in the newly established Republics of Slovenia and of Croatia.

Many people supported the FTM’s actions before Court and in the streets. Including the “No Election Day” campaign. On September 15th, 2013, the 66th Independence Day, more than 8,000 people joined Free Trieste’s celebration march.

The local nationalistic lobby, which traded loyalty to Italy in exchange for huge immunities, fears the FTM’s actions. This lobby kept the Movement under strict control. After September 15th, 2013, it has intensified actions to contrast or hamper its legal battle. This counterattack includes pretentious investigations against the FTM’s leaders.

Still, in the end, what worked best was triggering a crisis within the Movement itself, taking advantage of all of its weak points and exploiting people infiltrated in various roles. Infiltrations that started since the FTM’s very creation, only to be increased as the Movement became stronger.

This is how the Movement’s crisis unleashed. On one side, the purpose was to damage the FTM’s public image confusing its supporters, on the other side, the goal was to pave the way to participation in the 2016 local election.

This action was an attempt to dismiss Free Trieste, but since the operation failed, it was repurposed cloning the FTM in the guise of a more indulgent, pro-autonomy group, made of former suppoters of the original organization. This is the origin story of Movement “Territorio Libero 3” or “TL3”, which walks in the shoes of the former “Lista per Trieste”.

On the FTM’s initiative, a charity named TRIEST was established under British law: the organizations share the same funders. After the FTM’s “split” those who stand for the FTT without seeking political compromises were cut out of TRIEST.

London-based TRIEST should have supported internationally the rights of the people of the present-day FTT. Instead, after the split, TRIEST, now claiming “NGO” status, is controlled by the FTM’s opponents and TL3 wants to exploit it to re-open the question of Zone B, even with actions in Slovenia and Croatia.

Also, TRIEST commissioned an expertise about the question of the Free Territory of Trieste to an international law firm. The FTM sponsored the expertise before the split. Yet, after the split, TL3’s leaders proclaim that they won’t let the FTM have what it paid for.

Despite claiming to have received the expertise in February 2015, TRIEST has never published the expertise. The lawyers in charge of tthe study are Mr. Guglielmo Verdirame and Mr. Thomas D. Grant, Law Firm “20 Essex Street” international public right section, chaired by Sir Elihu Lauterpacht. Currently, Mr. Verdirame is advising  the Italian Government in the Enrica Lexie case (India).

It is very likely that the expertise (for which the FTM provided not only the money, but also legal documents, analyses, and international acts) was redacted to indulge in the question of former Zone B to make it harder re-establishing the rule of law in the present-day FTT (former Zone A).

Indeed, TL3 is distancing itself from the FTM’s policy on the matter, which is consolidated since 2013.

It is to be noted that, TL3’s and TRIEST’s claims about former Zone B – which aren’t much different from those of Italian nationalists – are endorsed by the UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization). The UNPO’s secretary is Italian citizen Marino Busdachin (partito radicale – Transnational Radical Party).

TRIEST claims that, through the UNPO, it has presented the Geneva UN Human Rights Council 300 petitions for citizenship, which are likely instrumental to extend the requests to Slovenia and Croatia.

This would probably lead the three States to join forces and address the UN, seeking the settlement of question Trieste. Not a good one, rather, the recognition of Italian sovereignty over the present-day FTT, and some kind of agreement about the international Free Port, possibly recognizing limited rights to the States entitled to enjoy full use of it.

A “solution” that would deprive people of the present-day Free Territory of Trieste of their rights.

There is only one thing preventing this gloom outcome: it is the FTM, firmly standing for legality and opposing all illegal activities of the local Italian authorities: be it undue taxes, be it the spoliation of Trieste’s State Assets (demanio), be it unfair Court decisions, be it illegal elections.

Indeed, those elections are summoned in the name of Italy, only to simulate its sovereignty over Trieste. It is also thanks to the opposition to those elections that this simulation can be challenged.

And this is why the local system is desperately seeking to take the stand for the FTT back under control. The “rebels” must recognize full Italian sovereignty over Trieste. And this goal is easy to achieve when there are movements claiming to stand for the FTT that are willing to run in the 2016 administrative elections. Just promise them wide autonomy in exchange for their legitimate independence.

In Summer 2014, during his visit to TL3, UNPO’s Busdachin was very celar about it: he praised TL3 and admitted of supporting it for “clearing the way from the old struggle for independence”. The old struggle for independence (the FTM) is exactly the one denouncing the simulation of Italian sovereignty over Trieste.

And it is exactly the FTM’s uncompromising and legal battle, the denial of compromises with those who, since sixty years, trample on the 1947 Treaty of Peace, own laws, and the people’s rights to represent salvation for both Trieste and its international Free Port.

Translated from blog “Ambiente e Legalità” – “Environment and Legality” by Roberto Giurastante