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DATE=10/12/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=ITALY - K-G-B- SPIES (L ONLY) NUMBER=2-254926 BYLINE=SABINA CASTELFRANCO DATELINE=ROME CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: Italy's prime minister says his government will not be weakened by publication of a list of names of alleged Italian spies for the Soviet K-G-B during the cold war. He accused the center-right opposition of using the matter to launch a campaign to discredit the government. Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome. TEXT: Italy's Prime Minister Massimo d'Alema defended the government's action with regard to a list of names of Italians who allegedly spied for the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He said the government had handled the affair in a public and open manner. Italy's center-right opposition at first accused the government of trying to keep the documents secret and then demanded that the government resign over the matter. Now, the opposition has asked that a new parliamentary commission be established to carry out an investigation. The list contains the names of more than 250 Italians who are said to have been informants or contacts of the Soviet K-G-B. The list was made public Monday after intense pressure from the news media and from politicians on both sides of the political divide. The list is part of the documents smuggled to Britain by K-G-B archivist Vasili Mitrokhin in 1992 when he defected from the former Soviet Union. It includes the names of Italian politicians, academics, journalists, and even a monk. The information is varied. Some of the names on the list are in code, others are being listed as being "cultivated" by the K-G-B or other Soviet intelligence agencies. Not all are described as full-fledged salaried spies. Prime Minister d'Alema -- Italy's first former communist leader of government -- played down the importance of the list. Mr. D'Alema said most of the information does not appear to be new. He also said it is up to magistrates to find out if those named had acted as spies. Under Italian law, anyone found guilty of espionage faces at least 15-years in prison. One of the first names that leaked even before the government allowed publication of the list was that of Armando Cossutta, the leader of the small party of Italian Communists which supports the government majority. Mr. Cossutta acknowledged that he always maintained extensive contacts with the Soviet Union, but said the idea that he was a spy is simply ridiculous. Many others, whose names appeared on the list, have also denied any wrongdoing. (Signed) NEB/SC/JWH/ENE/gm 12-Oct-1999 12:38 PM EDT (12-Oct-1999 1638 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .