Italian Withdrawal From Iraq by End of 2006

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Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi confirms plans while visiting Tunisia

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is now in Tunis meeting President Ben Ali. During a press conference, while answering a Tunisian journalist's question, Berlusconi said: "Italian troops will leave Iraq by the end of 2006. We spoke about it with allied forces and they agree. The position of the Italian government about the Iraqi situation has not changed."

He then added: "We have not participated in the war -- we intervened in a peace mission, with a peace contingent, after the United Nations 1546 resolution, that invited all countries to send troops in order to help the local people and assure public order. In this way, we created the conditions to establish democracy. And we did it with 34 other nations. We are now 29, and Italy represents the third country."

But Berlusconi also said that "Italy withdrew 10 percent of its troops in the last weeks, and the next steps will be gradual."

Deputy Minister of Defense Filippo Berselli, who is now in Nassiriya, stated: "The Italian mission in Iraq could conclude because the training of the local army and Iraqi police by Italian soldiers."

OhMyNews

[Skink]

1. Duly noted.....

:scared:

[Initech]

2. Bravo Italy!

I'm proud to be Italian tonight!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: