Italy plans to leave Iraq military coalition

[Strengthandhonour]

Italy Plans to Leave Iraq Military Coalition
Drawdown in Troop Levels Would Start in September
By FRANCES D'EMILIO, AP


ROME (March 16) - Italy, one of Washington's most stalwart allies in Iraq, announced it could begin pulling its troops out in September, an acknowledgment by Premier Silvio Berlusconi that Italian public opinion is heavily against the war.
The announcement Tuesday by the conservative leader was the most high-profile crack in what the U.S. administration has boasted in the past was a solid alliance. The Netherlands is ending its mission this month, and Poland plans to withdraw some troops in July.

"Starting with the month of September, we would like to proceed with a gradual reduction of our soldiers,'' on condition that Iraq could provide "acceptable'' security, Berlusconi said.

Word from one of President Bush's closest allies that some of Italy's 3,300 troops would start leaving Iraq within year's end came as the Italian leader confirmed he is running to keep the premiership in general elections in spring 2006.

Italy's center-left opposition, which was strongly opposed to war in Iraq, on Wednesday welcomed Berlusconi's announcement.

"About time, better late than never,'' said opposition leader Romano Prodi, a former premier and former EU commission president who is expected to be Berlusconi's opponent in political elections next year.

"It's the logical consequence of a wrong decision,'' Prodi was quoted as saying in daily La Repubblica on Wednesday. "This long-awaited news confirms our stance.''

Hours earlier, Italy suffered its latest casualty in Iraq, the 21st military member killed since it sent in some 3,000 troops after the ouster of Saddam Hussein. The nation lost 19 Italians, most of them military members, in the November 2003 suicide truck bombing of Italian paramilitary police barracks in Nasiriyah, southern Iraq.

Italy is also still grappling with the shock and outrage over the killing of an Italian intelligence agent earlier this month as he was accompanying a just-freed Italian hostage to Baghdad airport. U.S. soldiers patrolling near the airport mistakenly fired on the car in which the two were traveling.

The premier said he had spoken about the situation with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, another of Bush's closest allies in Iraq.

As the situation stands now, the reduction in the number of Italian forces will start "even before the year's end, in agreement with our allies,'' the Italian added.

Italy's defense minister had previously said coalition troops in Iraq could be cut gradually after Iraq's elections in January if Iraq could provide its own security, but he didn't specify a timetable.

Italian leaders have demanded U.S. authorities conduct a transparent investigation of the shooting death of military intelligence agent Nicola Calipari on March 4 near Baghdad airport.

"Bush knows he can't disappoint his faithful ally'' about the probe, said Berlusconi, who previously tried to get political mileage of his friendship with the American leader.

In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "We certainly appreciate the contributions of the Italians'' and said he didn't see a link between the Italian troop withdrawal announcement and Calipari's killing. The former hostage, an Italian journalist, was wounded in the same shooting.

After the shooting incident, Berlusconi's government had made it clear it wasn't yanking its contingent from Iraq.

About the same time Berlusconi was announcing the September date, the Chamber of Deputies was approving extended financing for the nation's military mission in Iraq.

[Menydh]

Italy plans Iraq troop pull-out

BBC News
March 15, 2005

Italy is to begin withdrawing its troops from Iraq in September 2005, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said.

He told Rai state television the pullout would take place "in agreement with our allies".

Italy has 3,000 troops in Iraq - the fourth largest foreign contingent.

Domestic opposition to Italy's involvement in Iraq intensified after the killing of an Italian agent by US troops in Baghdad earlier this month.

The surprise announcement came as Italy's lower house of parliament backed a recent Senate vote to extend the country's military presence in Iraq beyond June.

'Progressive reduction'

Mr Berlusconi has been one of US President George W Bush's staunchest allies in the US-led war in Iraq.

But, he said, after speaking to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair he concluded that public opinion in both countries favoured a troop withdrawal.

"In September we will begin a progressive reduction of the number of our soldiers in Iraq.

"I spoke to Tony Blair about it, and public opinion in our countries is expecting this decision," he told Rai.

He said the exact numbers would depend on the Iraqi government's ability to deal with security.

Strained relations

In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan played down the announcement.

"We certainly appreciate the contributions of the Italians. They have served and sacrificed alongside Iraqis and alongside other coalition forces," he said.

He emphasised that Italy's withdrawal "will be based on the ability and capability of Iraqi forces and the Iraqi government to be able to assume more responsibility".

But he rejected suggestions that Italy's decision was due to strained relations after secret service agent Nicola Calipari was shot dead by US troops in Baghdad on 4 March.

"I haven't heard any comment to that effect from Italian officials," he was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

Mr Berlusconi has said the US must accept responsibility for the shooting, which is being investigated by the US military.

The BBC's Tamsin Smith in Rome says it is the first time Mr Berlusconi has suggested a timetable for withdrawal.

Our correspondent says the Italian government is also mindful of local elections looming early next month.

Also on Tuesday, two other members of the US-led coalition in Iraq - the Netherlands and Ukraine - began a phased withdrawal from the country.


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[Menydh]

Britain tipped to fill Iraq gap

The Australian
March 16, 2005

MORE British troops would probably be asked to go to Iraq to help fill the void left by Italy's proposed withdrawal of its 3000 troops there, a British military expert said.

Charles Heyman, a senior defence analyst for Jane's Information Group, was quoted by Britain's Press Association news agency as saying it would cost tens of millions of pounds for Britain to supply the extra troops for six months. A large number of the Italians are under British control in the southern half of Iraq, and finding replacements will be as much a problem for the British as it is for the United States, he was quoted as saying.

Many of the Italian troops are based in the town of Nasiriyah within the Multi-National Division South East, which is headed by British forces but have personnel from other nations under their command.

Mr Heyman said that Nasiriyah had been relatively quiet recently, but the predominately Shiite Muslim area had the potential to become volatile.

"There's no doubt whatsoever that the embryonic Iraqi security forces are really not capable of controlling the area - they need coalition forces to support them," he said.

"It's going to leave a big hole, there's no doubt about that. My gut feeling is that it's going to be hard to find a contingent to replace them.

"I think it's almost impossible for the Americans to produce another 3000 extra troops.

"We're probably going to be asked to help to fill the gap," Mr Heyman said.

At present, there are about 8000 British troops in total in Iraq.

In Rome, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said yesterday that Italy would begin withdrawing its troops from Iraq in September, as he cited public opposition that remains high two years after the US-led invasion.


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[Menydh]

On a more detailed reading, this might be just a dirty trick by Berlusconi to calm public opinion.

[Menydh]

S&H, sorry. Seems as if we posted the same news at the same time. I've merged the threads.

[Strengthandhonour]

No problem Mynydd.


I think this is very good news. I hope that Berlusconi is serious about this, those Italian soldiers are doing nothing in Iraq. The British will eventually realize that there is no way out of this and that soon their loses are going to begin to rise and the opinion of the public on the war, will get worst.

[Menydh]

Look at the details of the withdrawal plans. I wonder..

[Gesta Bellica]

yeah it's a typical pre-election move.. the polls say that Prodi is gaining some consensus and he might have more than 50% now, so Berlusconi needed to do something to appeal the public opinion.
eh in Italy every politician starts to promote public works and so on while the election time is close..If he will win again he will surely kiss USA's a$$ in some other way but if he will lose we will have another reddish Zapatero (more immigration etc..) in Europe.. we are between two fires..

[Menydh]

True. But even if he doesn't finally withdraw the troops, the good news is that the announcement is going to do further damage to the image of the gang, and perhaps shake a bit more its foundations.

[Gesta Bellica]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

True. But even if he doesn't finally withdraw the troops, the good news is that the announcement is going to do further damage to the image of the gang, and perhaps shake a bit more its foundations.

I think he will do that..but after the election he could even send our troops back, he's able to do this and even worse

[Strengthandhonour]

In the end, If Berlusconi wins or loses it dosn't matter, it ends up being a lose-lose situation for us it seems.

[Gesta Bellica]

he has already changed his mind about leaving Iraq *LOL*
i suppose that his friends George and Tony called him and said to keep his mouth shut.. he's really the idiot of a village of idiots...........

[Menydh]

Bush denies that Italian withdrawal will weaken the coalition

The Guardian
March 17, 2005

George Bush denied that his "coalition of the willing" in Iraq was crumbling after the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, phoned him yesterday to discuss his planned withdrawal of Italy's 3,000 service personnel. The Italians are based in Nassiriya, part of the British-run sector. The British force has already had to put 650 personnel into a gap left by the withdrawal of soldiers from the Netherlands.

President Bush told a press conference that the US had no timetable for withdrawal.

"Countries will be willing - anxious - to get out when Iraqis have got the capacity to defend themselves," he said.

"And that's the position of the United States: Our troops will come home when Iraq is capable of defending herself."

Mr Berlusconi's office said he had told Mr Bush of "the desire to be able to begin a gradual and progressive withdrawal of the Italian military contingent as soon as possible, possibly in September".

His decision will make it more difficult for Britain to reduce its 8,000-strong force.

Tony Blair, questioned in the Commons yesterday, said: "We should withdraw when the job is done, not before."

British defence sources said the Italian position was similar to that of the British government - namely, that its troops would stay as long as they were required to provide security until the Iraqis could do it for themselves.

The only difference, they suggested, was that the Italian parliamentary procedures required a review of the situation every six months.

Asked whether the MoD had drawn up contingency plans to "backfill" in the event of an Italian withdrawal, a defence official said: "We are not at that point."

The "coalition of the willing" has been gradually shrinking as governments come under domestic pressures.

The threat of an Italian withdrawal came as Iraq's new parliament was sworn in yesterday in Baghdad's heavily fortified green zone. The event was made largely symbolic by the lack of a new government to confer legitimacy on the 275-member body.

Insurgents marked the occasion with a barrage of mortar bombs aimed at the green zone.


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[Theobald]

Originally Posted by Gesta Bellica

If he will win again he will surely kiss USA's a$$ in some other way but if he will lose we will have another reddish Zapatero (more immigration etc..) in Europe.. we are between two fires..

But I have heard that Berlusconi naturalized something like 300,000 clandestine immigrants ? And he also supports Turkey in the EU, so it seems that he isn't against immigration at all