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Romano Prodi, the leader of the Union coalition, which won the latest
elections in Italy, said on Wednesday that he will withdraw the Italian troops
from Iraq when he takes office, claiming there was no justification for the
US-led invasion of the Arab country.
In an interview with the French Le Monde daily, the Italian Prime
Minister Elect said that he will fulfill his election promise of withdrawing
his country´s troops from Iraq.
Following the pullout, an Italian civil contingent will be sent to Iraq to
help in the reconstruction of the infrastructure and institutions, asserted
Prodi.
The also former president of the European Commission reiterated that he always
opposed the war against Iraq and thought there were other ways to solve differences
with Baghdad.
Last July, the Chamber of Deputies agreed to extend the deployment of the Italian
troops for another six months, though the center-left opposition along with
the communists voted against.
As legislative elections are getting closer and pressures increase, the Italian
government announced a reduction of its troops and 2,600 Italian soldiers of
the 3,200 initially deployed remain in Iraq since last January.
