Italy May Withdraw from Iraq

Mar. 17, 2005 – Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi announced Tuesday that his government could begin withdrawing troops from Iraq as soon as this fall. "Starting with the month of September, we would like to proceed with a gradual reduction of our soldiers," Berlusconi said, adding that the withdrawal of Italy?s 3,000 troops depended on whether Iraqi forces could provide an "acceptable" level of security for the country. Public opinion in Italy has been strongly against the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq since the beginning.