ROME -- Outrage has been provoked following the controversial covering up of ancient Roman statues in order not to offend the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani during his state visit to Rome.

 The Iranian delegation had expressed concern that president Rouhani would have to speak at a press conference held in the Esedra Room of the Capitoline museums, home to a statue of Marcus Aurelius and uncomfortably close to some of the museum's racier exhibits, nude statues and Capitoline Venus figures among their ranks.

  The decision to move some displays and cover the remaining statues with large white boxes was branded "a gesture of cultural prostitution" by senator Maurizio Gasparri, "ordered by the Italian authorities for the benefit of somebody who in his own country applies the death penalty, threatens the freedom and the existence of Israel, and yet is honoured and tolerated by us despite all his abuses, only for the sake of commercial interests."

 "I would like to know the names," he affirmed, "of all those who gave the orders that were so obsequiously carried out by people without an inch of dignity or pride. It is typical Renzi to behave like this."

  With sanctions now lifted, 17 billion euros worth of business deals have been signed on the visit, with Italian officials hoping to double exports to Europe by 2018. The deals cover areas including energy, infrastructure, steel, shipbuilding and aviation, including 5.7 billion euros in contracts for steel firm Danieli, 4 billion euros of business for infrastructure firm Condotte d'Acqua, and a 3.7 billion euro contract for oil services group Saipem.

 Giorgia Meloni, head of the 'Fratelli d'Italia' party, seized the opportunity to deplore Renzi's unctuousness, writing on Facebook that "the level of cultural subjection from the left has surpassed every limit of decency. At this point we must wonder what Renzi will consider doing for the Qatari emir's visit to Italy later this week...covering St. Peter's Basilica with an enormous box?"

 In a press conference Rouhani responded to a question from journalists in relation to the covering up of the ancient monuments. "I can only say that the Italians are being very hospitable, they are doing everything they can to put make their guests comfortable, and I thank them for this."

 It is not the first time that the Iranian delegation has been accused of ordering cultural deference. On a planned visit to France in November, Hollande refused the Iranian president's request for a halal alcohol-free meny during a formal lunch at the Elysée in Paris, due to French "republican traditions."   ft