They believed that he could have been strangled.Scientists working for three investigating judges in Rome have affirmed that view, it is claimed. The new investigation became possible when parts of Calvi’s corpse and of clothes he was wearing turned up in a cupboard in Milan’s Institute of Legal Medicine when the institute was moving. The parts, which were analysed by the original English coroner in 1982, include bits of Calvi’s intestine, tongue and neck, and pieces of fabric.A source in the new investigation told Corriere della Sera that modern forensic techniques had enabled the scientists to reach the conclusion that Calvi was murdered.His alleged killers include Flavio Carboni, a Sardinian businessman with connections to the Mafia, and Pippo Calo, formerly a Mafia financial director and now serving time for an unrelated offence. If they were brought to trial, it would be a major development in a case that has baffled investigators for two decades.Roberto Calvi was the chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, a private bank, when he fled Italy under a false name and went to ground in a hotel in Chelsea, London, in 1982 He had good reason to run away. In the 1970s and 1980s he had built up a secretive financial empire, linking the Vatican’s bank, the Istituto per le Opere di Religione; P2, the secret, far right-wing Masonic lodge that had many top Italian politicians among its members; and the Mafia.Their shared interest was in maximising their investments while avoiding scrutiny, and that was what Calvi, through a network of offshore companies, helped them to do.But with the collapse in 1974 of a bank run by a powerful friend of his, Calvi’s elaborate construction began to totter. In 1978 he was investigated for tax evasion and the illegal export of currency, and in 1981 found guilty of currency violations and sentenced to four years in prison.

Though freed pending appeal, he was said to have been traumatised by his brief time behind bars.When he fled Rome in 1982 with the help of Mafia associates, he was a ruined man: Banco Ambrosiano had collapsed with hundreds of millions of dollars of debt, and many of his powerful friends were now enemies.But although the first coroner’s report returned a verdict of suicide, later reports – including one that involved exhuming Calvi’s remains – have been ambiguous. After 20 years of speculation, the final act may be about to begin.. The European Council held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the crisis over Iraq. Its members also met with the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, and the President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox. In particular, we are determined to deal effectively with the threat of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.We are committed to the UN remaining at the centre of the international order. The Union’s objective for Iraq remains full and effective disarmament in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 1441.We want to achieve this peacefully It is clear that this is what the people of Europe want War is not inevitable Force should be used only as a last resort. It is for the Iraqi regime to end this crisis by complying with the demands of the Security Council.We reiterate our full support for the ongoing work of UN inspectors.

They must be given the time and resources that the UN Security Council believes they need. However, inspections cannot continue indefinitely in the absence of full Iraqi co-operation. Baghdad should have no illusions: it must disarm and co-operate immediately and fully. Iraq has a final opportunity to resolve the crisis peacefully.The Iraqi regime alone will be responsible for the consequences if it continues to flout the will of the international community and does not take this last chance. We recognise that the unity and firmness of the international community, as expressed in the unanimous adoption of resolution 1441 and the military build-up, have been essential in obtaining the return of the inspectors.We will work with the Arab countries and the Arab League.