Berlusconi says US wants him to win election
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi said on Monday that Washington wanted him to win
elections in April, though this did not mean the United States
was interfering in Italy’s domestic affairs.
“The American government fears a change of government in
Italy,” Berlusconi told Italian reporters after meeting
President George W. Bush at the White House, according to the
Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI.
“I assured him that we would win,” the Italian prime
minister said, adding later that the United States was not
interfering in Italian political affairs.
“The president believes Prime Minister Berlusconi has
provided strong leadership. Under his leadership Italy has been
one of our closest allies and made enormous contributions to
peace and security,” said White House spokesman Scott
McClellan.
Berlusconi is trailing center-left rival Romano Prodi in
opinion polls ahead of April elections. Prodi has promised to
withdraw Italy’s forces from Iraq if he is elected.
Berlusconi is one of Washington’s strongest allies.
Although he did not send troops to join the March 2003 invasion
of Iraq, he did send Italian forces after the fall of Baghdad.
Italy pulled about 300 soldiers from Iraq earlier this
year, leaving about 2,900 troops there.
The Italian leader created a stir before his visit to
Washington by saying he had warned the United States against
invading Iraq.
“I tried many times to convince the American president not
to go to war,” he said in an interview with the La7 television
network broadcast on Monday.
Berlusconi has rejected accusations at home that Italy’s
intelligence agency passed off fake documents to Washington
that claimed Iraq sought to buy uranium from Niger in the
run-up to the war.
“I can guarantee that there were not any documents passed
to the Americans,” Berlusconi said.
Bush referred to the faulty intelligence in his 2003 State
of the Union address, saying the British government had learned
that Iraq had sought uranium from Africa.