The Italian government summoned Cuba's ambassador to Rome on Friday after an Italian journalist was detained in Cuba on his way to a meeting sponsored by opponents of communist President Fidel Castro, Reuters reported. Cuba has detained three Polish journalists sent to report on the event as well as the Italian reporter Francesco Battistini. Authorities also expelled European parliamentarians from the island hours before they were due to attend the meeting, the news agency said. Italy's Foreign Ministry said it had contacted Cuban authorities "to obtain the immediate release" of Battistini, who writes for Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, it added. Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini also gave instructions to summon the Cuban ambassador to Rome "for clarifications", according to a statement carried by Reuters. Separately, the European Union on Friday said its relations with Cuba could suffer following the recent expulsions. --SP 2231 Local Time 1931 GMT
