Italy recalls Brazil envoy over fugitive's asylum

Italy recalled its ambassador to Brazil on Tuesday in an escalating dispute over Brazil's decision to grant asylum to an Italian fugitive sentenced to life in prison for political slayings in the 1970s.

The Italian foreign minister said Brazil's decision this month not to extradite Cesare Battisti, a former member of a radical leftist group, was "unacceptable."

"We didn't expect this from Brazil, a country that is a friend," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said.

The Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Michele Valensise was being called back from the embassy in Brasilia "for consultations" about what to do next.

Brazil's Foreign Ministry said its decision complied with Brazilian law. But it also reached out to Italy, saying in a statement that it was confident "that the historic and cultural ties that link Brazil and Italy will continue to guide our efforts to strengthen even more the solid bilateral relations in many sectors."

Battisti, 54, escaped from an Italian prison in 1981 while awaiting trial on four counts of murder, allegedly committed when he was a member of the far-left Armed Proletarians for Communism.

A court convicted him in absentia for the killings of a prison guard and a butcher.

Battisti, who says he is innocent, lived in Mexico before moving to France in 1990 and reinventing himself as a mystery writer. He later went to Brazil, where he was arrested in 2007 based on an Italian warrant.

Brazilian officials said the Jan. 13 decision to grant Battisti refugee status was based on a fear of persecution if he was sent back to Italy. Italy calls him a terrorist who does not deserve refugee status.

"Battisti is a terrorist. He assassinated innocent people. He's been condemned by Italian courts," Frattini said told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a meeting in Rome. "The Italian government is exploring all the legal opportunities, for example to go before the Supreme Court of Brazil."