Former Neo-Fascist is Italy's new FM

Gianfranco Fini will replace Franco Frattini as Italy's new foreign minister. Frattini is moving to Brussels to become the European Union's new Justice and Security Commissioner.

For the past three years, 52-year-old Fini has held the post of Deputy Prime Minister. He is also the leader the conservative National Alliance party, the second largest in the ruling center-right coalition government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Fini is an effective public speaker and an able politician. He has made no secret of wanting to become Foreign Minister and has worked hard on gaining international credibility in recent years.

Critical voices

Opposition members voiced their concern about the appointment. They are critical of Fini, saying he will not provide stability to the present government.

Francesco Rutelli, leader of the opposition party Daisy, said Fini has his work cut out for him.

"Even though the Berlusconi government speaks of stability, Fini is the fourth foreign minister in three-and-a-half years," Rutelli said.

Other critics have described Fini as very ambitious and prepared to make compromises when he has something to gain. But members of the government coalition, like Federico Adornato of Forza Italia, reject the criticism. He said they are satisfied with the choice.

"Foreign policy has always been managed in a united manner by this coalition," Adornato said. "For Fini, this is a position of great responsibility at an international level and the crowning of his efforts."

Remodeling his image

In Italy, Fini is widely credited with having rid his National Alliance party of its Fascist legacy. He created the National Alliance from the old Italian Social Movement party, which included fascist sympathizers and hard-liners.

But he no longer wanted his new party to be labeled as neo-Fascist. Deputies like Mario Baccini, from a centrist party in the coalition, is among those who recognize what a long way the party has come.

"The National Alliance took some important steps in recent years and voters reacted to these positively," Baccini said.

Fini also remodeled his own image from a far-right leader to a moderate conservative.

Italians still remember how in 1994, he praised Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, calling him "the greatest politician of the 20th century." But he has since retracted that statement and even condemned the former Italian dictator for his racial laws.

Fini visited Auschwitz in 1999, which was met with a wave of protests. But just four years later, he was given a warm welcome when he traveled to Israel.