squadrons responsible for bombing Yugoslavia

The death of three Italian soldiers on the road to Nasiriyya may have for the international press, in the news coming from Iraq, only a relative importance. In Italy, she naturally attracted much emotion. The Italians were hostile to the war; the majority of them think that the time has come to repatriate the body of shipping (three thousand soldiers at the beginning, two thousand and six hundred today). This does not preclude that a substantial part of the country feels a certain pride about the presence in the southeast of the country of a military body which has contributed to ensure, to the extent possible, the stability of the region. This mixture of grief and pride has had some impact on the Italian political situation at the time when Romano Prodi is preparing to replace Silvio Berlusconi at the head of the Government.

The left opposed with constancy and resolution policy of George w. Bush in Iraq and has consistently criticized his alliance with the American President Silvio Berlusconi. When the Spanish Government decided to withdraw its troops, Luis Rodriguez Zapatero became, for the most radical parties of the left-wing coalition, the example to follow. Helped by the left Democrats (heirs, reformers, former Communist Party) and Marguerite (the party who raised the left wing of Christian democracy), Romano Prodi managed to moderate their anti-American rages and promised that the withdrawal would take place as quickly as possible under an agreement with the Iraqi authorities. Behind this formula, there were, of course, the desire to avoid the formation of a centre-left Government could have negative consequences on relations with the United States. The Italy, regardless of his Government, cannot have the attitude of the Germany, the Spain or the France to Washington. We saw in 1999, at the time of the war in Kosovo, when a Government chaired by a former Communist, Massimo D'Alema, did not hesitate to join NATO and to the Italy aircraft carrier for the U.S. squadrons responsible for bombing Yugoslavia. With this compromise, the centre-left coalition ran in the election with a reasonable program. Between the withdrawal in the coming months, under an agreement with the Government of Baghdad, and the repatriation of the body of shipping at the end of the year, promised by Silvio Berlusconi, there was only a very small difference. This is the reason for which the Iraq played only a minor role in the election campaign. What many engage in a duel for a question on which Berlusconi and Prodi to were finally considerably close

The Nasiriyya attack, however, cannot only complicate policy of Romano Prodi. Part of his coalition asked probably accelerate the withdrawal and will not fail to affirm that the Italian military presence in Iraq is now no usefulness. This is true, but the new President of the Council must avoid that decision must be interpreted in the present circumstances, in the United States as well as Italy, as a capitulation. Became leader of the opposition and decided to make life difficult, Silvio Berlusconi can only be welcomed the difficulties of his rival.