1.
GV Quirinale Palace
0.05

2.
LV Saragat arrives and enters
0.22

3.
SV INT. President of Senate Fanfani leaves
0.27

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SV Guard of honour
0.30

5.
SV President of Lower House Pertini ditto
0.46


QUIRINALE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE: EX-PRESIDENT SARAGAT ARRIVING AND ENTERING: SENATE PRESIDENT FANFANI COMING OUT OF CONFERENCE ROOM: LOWER HOUSE PRESIDENT PERTINI COMING OUT OF CONFERENCE ROOM.




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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Italy's caretaker Prime Minister Emilio Colombo on Friday (21 Jan) night accepted with reservations an open mandate from President Giovanni Leone to form a new Government. Other Government leaders wound up the five-day political consultations at Rome's Quirinale Palace, where Visnews cameraman John Drake shot this film.

Political observers were surprised that President Leone's mandate did not specify the type of Government Signor Colombo was to try to form, as has previously been the custom.

But Signor Colombo, whose resignation last week after 17 months of office precipated the current crisis, announced immediately that he would try and bring together the four parties of the centre-left to form the country's 33rd post fascist Government.

SYNOPSIS: Italy's new Government crisis headed to a political compromise on Friday when ex-President Saragat warned that if the country resorted to general elections it could bring a dangerous swing to the extreme right among the electorate. Signor Saragat issued the warning shortly after winding up five days of intensive political consultations aimed at finding a way out of the crisis.

Senate President Fanfani refused to give a statement to newsmen when he came out of the consultations.

The President of the Lower House, Signor Pertini, also refused to tall to newsmen, but it was disclosed later that caretaker Prime Minister Emilio Colombo had agreed to form a new Government -- it was Signor Colombo's resignation after 17 months in office that sparked off the present crisis.