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(by Cristiana Missori) (ANSAmed) - ROMA, JULY 14 - Instituting a Federation of Italian Islam endowed with its own statute capable of opening serious negotiations with the State in view of the signing of an agreement; creating a centre for the training of Imams in Italy, but also setting up an Institute for the Arab World like the famous one in Paris. These are objective ambitions in today's difficult times when relations between the interior ministry, led by Roberto Maroni, and the Islamic Consultative Council are stalled, but according to the Islamic Cultural Centre for Italy secretary general, Abdellah Redouane, they can be achieved, also thanks to a propelling push by the body he heads. That body "is subject to Italian law by a 1974 decree from the President of the Republic, and so it is to all intents and purposes an Italian centre by law," he noted. Hence it is exactly from there that the process of creating a federation of Italian Islam has to start, overcoming divisions within the country's Muslim community and capable of acting, added Redouane, "in full respect and promotion of the values enshrined in the Italian Constitution and specified in the Charter of Values." Yesterday infact a new meeting took place of some members of the Islamic Council who March 13, 2008, presented the then interior minister, Giuliano Amato, with a declaration of intentions including the aim of setting up a federative body capable of "representing moderate and pluralist Islam." The meeting picked up the thread of reasoning in order to prepare a "draft statute that then will have to be discussed, proposed and presented to all the Islamic realities present in Italy," he said. The basic idea is of a body that includes most associations and can propose concrete measures, setting off waves after the stall that set in after the change of the guard at the top of the interior ministry, led now Roberto Maroni of the Northern League, with the final aim being to achieve through the federative initiative an understanding with the Italian State. "If we manage to federate not all but at least the majority of associations it would effectively be our right to ask the authorities to open negotiations," says the secretary general. The meeting gathered Ambassador Mario Scialoja, a councillor in the Islamic Centrés Board of Directors, and other six members of the Islamic Council: Yahya Pallavicini, Mohamed Saady, MP Souad Sbai, Ejaz Ahmad, Younis Tawfik and Gulshan Antivalle. "But all the associations that agree to subscribe to the statute drawn up by the promoters will be welcome," Redouane added. The doors will be open, then, also for the Union of Islamic Organisations and Communities in Italy (Ucoii), with the risk, however, Redouane concedes, that some Government members will find the presence of that organization, (often controversial because it is accused of taking radical positions, ed.), too much to swallow." "The promoters will have to evaluate membership on this point preventively so as to avoid some of them blocking talks with the State." But at the moment, he adds, this is just a hypothesis. As for the creation of the centre for training imams, "the key point is financial support", Redouane added. Finally Italy's Islamic Cultural Centre also could weigh in to supporting an Institute of the Arab World modeled on the Parisian one, in the interests of spreading a less stereotyped knowledge of the Muslim world and Islamic culture. "Today Italy has many friends in the Arab world who could finance a project of this kind. If one had a building for it, one could create the Italian Institute for the Arab World within six months." (ANSAmed).