© US Navy / ReutersThe Virginia-class USS North Dakota (SSN 784) submarine is seen during bravo sea trials, October 25, 2014
A visit by a US Virginia-class submarine - the one that fired cruise missiles into Syria last Saturday - raised the ire in Naples, Italy whose mayor spewed vitriol over the sub's presence in the nuclear-free "city of peace."
The mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, has been particularly outraged after learning that the USS John Warner, an American Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine, moored at the port on March 20, about three weeks before the US-led missile strikes on Syria, local media reported.
"I would like to reiterate that Resolution 609 that was approved on September 23, 2015, on my behalf, has declared the port of Naples a nuclear-free area," de Magistris wrote to Rear Admiral Arturo Faraone, commander of Naples port authority, as cited by
La Repubblica newspaper.
The mayor said his decree prohibited docking of any nuclear-powered vessels or warships carrying nuclear weapons in "the city of peace." He said Naples authorities are "respectful of everyone's fundamental rights" and are "dedicated to disarmament and international cooperation." Nevertheless, Rear Admiral Faraone replied that "the arrival and/or transit of foreign naval units in national territorial waters" does not fall within his office's responsibility.
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