The head of the Naples-based America's Cup syndicate Mascalzone Latino said on Tuesday that he opposed a compromise proposal advanced by other teams aimed at breaking the stalemate which has blocked the staging of sailing's most prestigious event.
Vincenzo Onorato said he could not attend the recent meeting of most America's Cup syndicates in Geneva, hosted by the defender Alinghi, but had he been there he would not have signed a letter asking American challenger BMW Oracle to drop its suit against the Swiss team which has put the 33rd edition of the cup on indefinite hold.
In their request, Alinghi and the other teams invited the Oracle team to join them in developing a new boat which would be different from the one Alinghi had previously proposed for the 33rd edition.
The boat, the teams explained, would be ''faster and more spectacular than the one used for the 32nd cup but also more cost-efficient''.
Oracle responded by saying that it has always been ready to drop its suit ''if Alinghi commits itself to fair rules''.
The American team said it was also ready to discuss the America's Cup's future with the other teams ''but without preconditions''.
According to Onorato, who has until now always backed Oracle, ''the simplest thing would be to return to the rules and specifications used for the 32nd edition of the cup''.
''As far as the boat is concerned, it makes no sense to us to develop a new class when the world is experiencing its worst economic crisis since 1929,'' he added.
''Developing a new class would means immediately investing a huge amount of money in research and throwing away a fleet of boats which already number over 100,'' he explained.
Onorato said he would be on hand for the November 11 meeting of America's Cup syndicates and would repropose his idea of holding the 33rd edition of the cup in 2011 using the class of boats developed for the event in 2007, the ACC-5 class.
This would allow time, he explained, not only to heal the wounds caused by the legal battles but also to come to an agreement on specifications and common investments for a boat to be used in future America's Cup events.
In related developments, Team New Zealand last week dropped the suit it had brought against Alinghi for financial damages it claims it suffered because of the delay in staging the 33rd edition of the cup.
According to New Zealand, Alinghi was responsible for the delay and the lawsuits because it had sought unacceptable rule changes.
