Brussels, 27/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - "Italy has been betrayed", lamented the Italian general Mario Arpino after the EU's Interim Military Committee voted on Monday to support the candidacy of the Finnish general Gustav Hägglund to become the permanent Chair of the Committee (see yesterday's EUROPE, page 5). The Finnish general was selected by 8 votes to 7 (including four votes from neutral countries). The four members of the Atlantic Alliance that voted against General Arpino's candidacy "slapped us in the face. They have broken the solidarity between NATO countries", explained General Arpino to the newspaper Corriere della Sera. General Arpino was due to retire in February but his period in office was extended so that he could apply to be selected as Chairman again, explained the Italian newspaper, explaining that one of the main obstacles to General Arpino was the fact that NATO's Military Committee was also chaired by an Italian, Admiral Guido Venturoni. The candidacy of General Hägglund was "unanimously" put forward by the Interim Military Committee and now needs to be approved by the next General Affairs Council. General Hägglund managed a number of peace-keeping operations in the Middle East.