Both
La Repubblica and
Corriere della Sera reported yesterday that the Farnesina Palace, home to the Italian Foreign Ministry, denied visas to Iraqis invited to speak at the Anti-Imperialist League's rally scheduled for October at the resort of Chianciano Terme.
The invited speakers were Mohammed al-Kubaisi, member of the Iraqi Committe of Ulema, Hassan al-Zangani, spokesman for Moqtada al Sadr, Salah al Mukhtar, former Baath Party member, Jawad al-Khalesi, Chairman of the Iraqi National Congress and Awni al-Kalemji, spokesman for the Patriotic Alliance of Iraq.
The decision to deny the visas was thanks to forty members of the United States Congress who delivered a letter to the Italian Embassy in Washington last week demanding that the visas not be issued:
[These] members of the Iraqi opposition will attempt to seek financial backing for terrorist activities.
For you reality checkers:
http://www.repubblica.it/2005/h/sezioni/cronaca/allertaitalia2/campoimpe/campoimpe.html