Italy plans Iraq troop withdrawal
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ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Italy will begin a partial withdrawal of its roughly 3,000 troops from Iraq in September, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday, making it the latest member of the U.S.-led coalition to announce plans to leave.
In an interview with Italian television Tuesday night, Berlusconi -- a leading ally of President George W. Bush in the U.S.-led campaign -- said a complete pullout would depend on the state of Iraqi security forces.
"We will begin to reduce our contingent even before the end of the year, starting in September, in agreement with our allies," Berlusconi said.
He said the decision followed talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose troops make up the second-largest contingent in Iraq.
Italian government spokesman Paolo Buonaiuti said Berlusconi has begun discussions with U.S. and Iraqi officials about an Italian withdrawal as well.
Berlusconi faces parliamentary elections in 2006, and his decision to commit Italian forces to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was never popular at home.
Italy's parliament voted Tuesday to extend the country's military presence in Iraq until June, but renewed protests over the war broke out after the killing of an Italian intelligence officer by U.S. troops at a checkpoint near Baghdad's airport earlier this month.
In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan dismissed suggestions that the shooting of intelligence agent Nicola Calipari contributed to the Italian decision, telling reporters, "I haven't heard any comment to that effect, from Italian officials."
In the killing of the Italian intelligence agent in Iraq, the agent was escorting an Italian journalist who had been recently freed by her Iraqi kidnappers, and who was wounded in the shooting
The Pentagon said U.S. troops opened fire as the car carrying the Italians sped toward a checkpoint and refused to stop. The U.S. military is investigating the matter, but Italy's government has said there are discrepancies between Italian and U.S. accounts.
After the United States, Italy's contingent is the third-largest allied force in Iraq, behind Britain and South Korea. Ten other countries, including Spain, New Zealand and Hungary, have withdrawn their forces, and Ukraine and the Netherlands have announced plans to withdraw this year.
The Dutch troops are being replaced by an increased number of Australian personnel, taking that nation's presence in and around Iraq to about 1,400.
Senior U.S. military officials predicted there would be no need to send more U.S. troops to Iraq to replace departing Italians.
Twenty-eight Italians have died in the conflict -- 21 military personnel, six civilians and one intelligence officer. The 21st military casualty came on Tuesday, with the death of a soldier who accidentally shot himself in the head during target practice, officials said
The Italian withdrawal plan was first reported by Berlusconi, in an interview with "Porta A Porta," an Italian television program that aired Tuesday night on RAI-1.
"Already in September we will begin a progressive reduction of the number of our soldiers in Iraq," Berlusconi was quoted as saying during taping of the show.
Withdrawing Italian troops "will depend on the capability of the Iraqi government to give itself structures for acceptable security," the ANSA news agency quoted Berlusconi as saying.
"I've spoken about it with (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair, and it's the public opinion of our countries that expects this decision."
There was no immediate comment from Britain.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
