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| Europe |
| Soldiers Hit In Iraq Were On 'Peace Mission', Foreign Minister Says |
| 2006-06-06 |
| Rome, 6 June (AKI) - Expressing solidarity to the armed forces after an Italian soldier was killed on Monday night in a bomb attack near the Iraqi city of Nassiriya, Italy's Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said soldiers in Iraq were on a "peace mission." "I express pain, solidarity and closeness to the Italian armed forces once again hard hit as they were fulfilling their duty in a mission of peace," said D'Alema, who also serves as deputy premier in the new centre-left government of Romano Prodi. After his government was sworn in last month, Prodi called the war in Iraq a "grave error" and vowed that Italy's 2,600-strong contingent would be withdrawn soon. D'Alema's left-wing allies in the cabinet coalition have repeatedly challenged the claim of the previous conservative government that Italy was on a peace mission in Iraq, calling for the immediate pullout of Italian troops after the centre-left won a general election in April. However, Italian troops will reportedly not be pulled before the autumn, sometime between September and December, and D'Alema has said he will agree on a timeframe for the withdrawal with the Iraqi government and the US. The foreign minister is scheduled to travel to Iraq this week and meet US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on 12 June. An Italian soldier, 25-year-old Alessandro Pibiri, was killed and four others were wounded on Monday night when a bomb blew up the vehicle they were travelling in about 100 km from their base in Nassiriya in southern Iraq. |
| Posted by:Steve |