Premier Silvio Berlusconi reaffirmed Thursday that Italy would keep its troops in Iraq for as long as the government there wanted them. After a meeting with interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, Berlusconi said, "Italy will stay in Iraq according to the requests that will come from a legitimate Iraqi government." His comments came a day after Hungary said it would withdraw its 300 non-combat troops from Iraq by the end of March, undercutting President Bush's effort to hold the multinational force together. Also Thursday, the Czech parliament voted to extend the mandate of the 100 Czech troops in Iraq by two months, to Feb. 28, 2005, keeping them in the country during the elections scheduled for January. Berlusconi's center-right government sent about 3,000 troops to Iraq to help rebuild the country after the ouster of Saddam Hussein.
Allawi also received encouragement from Pope John Paul II, a staunch opponent of the war, for the building of democratic institutions in Iraq, and assurances of the pontiff's "closeness to the Iraqi people, so sorely tried by the tragic sufferings of recent years." John Paul received Allawi at the Vatican and in a brief speech read by an aide said he was praying "for all the victims of terrorism and wanton violence" and for those working for the reconstruction of Iraq. The two men met privately for nearly 10 minutes. In his public remarks, the pope did not mention his opposition to the war. He called for "truly representative" democratic institutions that respect ethnic and religious diversity and said the Christian community would help build democracy.
The Italian government repeatedly has said it will keep its troops in Iraq until the country is stabilized and has a legitimate democratic government. Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino recently said coalition forces in Iraq could be "gradually" reduced after the January elections there if Iraqi troops and police can keep the country stable. Allawi said he was confident about the reconstruction of his country and the chance of holding elections due by Jan. 31.
Allawi next heads to Belgium to attend a European Union summit at which EU leaders are expected to offer him a trade deal as part of efforts to aid Iraqi reconstruction. On Thursday, the EU set out details of a $40.3 million aid package to support the elections. The EU's head office said it would send three experts to Iraq to work with the United Nations and the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq. They also will help train up to 150 Iraqi election observers. |