Italy: Former Foreign Minister Franco Frattini dead at 65

Rome: Franco Frattini, President of Italy’s Council of State and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, has died in Rome at the age of 65, Italian media report.

According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Frattini died on Saturday evening.

Italian newspaper il Messaggero said that Frattini suffered from cancer and died in Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

Frattini served as Italy’s foreign minister from November 2002 to November 2004, as well as from May 2008 to November 2011, in the governments of Silvio Berlusconi.

He also served as Minister of Public Function (from 1995 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2002), as well as European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security from 2004 to 2008, under the presidency of Jose Manuel Barroso.

Starting from January of this year, Franco Frattini was President of Italy’s Council of State.