RADIO AND TELEVISION/ITALY: ITALIAN RIGHT PROMISES TO RESOLVE CONFLICT OF INTEREST ISSUE QUICKLY.

• Position: Government Activity

Silvio Berlusconi, through his family holding company, controls Fininvest, the leading private television group in Italy, as well as Mediaset, one of the country's leading publishing and newspaper groups, and has holdings in the cinema (including Medusa Film) and in the Internet (the portal Jumpy). He also has substantial strategic holdings outside the media, ie the financial services group, Mediolanum; the A.C. Milan soccer club and the real property firm Edlinord 2000.The most crucial question for Italy's democracy turns on Berlusconi's television holdings. In assuming office, the leader of Forza Italia will have under his control (if only indirectly) RAI and Mediaset, or the country's main television media. RAI is owned by the Italian government and its board of directors is appointed by the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate, now controlled by Berlusconi and his allies.Gianfranco Fini, chairman of the National Alliance and a political ally of Berlusconi stated on May 15 that once in place, the new presidents of the chambers would change the head of the public television body. He said that the coverage of the electoral campaign by RAI had been "disgraceful". The most radical solution to the conflict of interest problem would be the sale, pure and simple, of Mr Berlusconi's shares, starting with those in Mediaset...