Italian Premier Resigns After Setback

By The Associated Press

ROME — Premier Romano Prodi resigned Wednesday after nine months in office following an embarrassing loss by his center-left government in the Senate on foreign policy, including Italy’s military mission in Afghanistan.

Prodi aides did not rule out the possibility that President Giorgio Napolitano would ask Prodi to try to form a new government, and from first discussions among some allies, support for another Prodi government seemed to be building.

“We are ready to reconfirm our full faith in the Prodi government,” said Dario Franceschini, a leader of the Olive Tree, the largest grouping in Prodi’s coalition.

Napolitano’s office said political consultations would begin today on which leaders might have enough support to form a new government. In the meantime, it said, the president, who met with Prodi on Wednesday night, had asked him to stay on in a caretaker role.

The loss, by two votes in the Senate, came on a bid by Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema to rally the often bickering partners in the coalition, which range from Christian Democrats to Communists.

He was hoping the allies would close ranks in the vote on foreign policy, including the country’s mission in Afghanistan, but his bid backfired.

“Foreign policy involves the role and image of Italy in the world and the life of our soldiers committed to international peace mission,” said conservative opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi, whom Prodi had defeated in elections in April. The loss meant Prodi had the “obligation” to resign, Berlusconi insisted.

Berlusconi has been predicting for months that the premier’s government would collapse because of the radical leftists in the coalition.

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