Court blocks vote on airbase expansion

VICENZA, Italy, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- An Italian court ruled Wednesday that opponents of a planned expansion of a U.S. air base cannot hold a citywide referendum on the issue.

The Council of State ruled that a referendum on the base in Vicenza was ''superfluous'' because publicly elected officials had already ruled on the planned purchase of land for the expansion, ANSA reported.

The Dal Molin expansion is aimed at accommodating 2,100 U.S. soldiers and to unite the 173rd Airborne Brigade, which is currently divided between Vicenza and Germany.

Vicenza Mayor Achille Variati said the court had put ''a gag on citizens' opinions" by calling off the vote that was scheduled for Sunday, the Italian news service reported.

Green Party regional Councilor Gianfranco Bettin decried the ruling. ''This is a black page for Italian democracy,'' Bettin was quoted as saying.

The Dal Molin airfield is across town from the main Ederle military base, which hosts the headquarters of the Southern European Task Force. The group has been in Italy since the early 1950s.