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Italians Reconsider Their Place in Iraq |
By Francesca Di Meglio
Ahead of upcoming elections in Italy, Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi said March 15 on the popular political talk show
Porta a Porta that he would start withdrawing Italy’s 3,000
troupes from Iraq as early as September.
Berlusconi has been among U.S. President George Bush’s most
ardent supporters since the U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq in
2003 on the grounds that the country was a terrorist threat.
Italy has the fourth-largest contingent of troops in Iraq behind
the United States, Great Britain and South Korea. Most of
Italy’s participating military are located in Nasiriyah in Iraq
and oversee peace keeping.
The announcement of the decision to withdraw Italian troops came
as a surprise to the Italian public, the country’s allies and
even Berlusconi’s cabinet. That might be part of the reason why,
after a phone call from Bush and discussions with Great
Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair, Berlusconi retracted his
original announcement to say that he only “hopes” to get the
troops out in September but will first have to consult the
allies and analyze Iraq’s stability.
“I think what you’re going to find is that countries will be
willing or anxious to get out when Iraqis have got the capacity
to defend themselves,” Bush has said. “And that’s the position
of the United States. Our troops will come home when Iraq is
capable of defending herself.”
Reuters, a news wire service, later reported that Berlusconi
stressed a pullout would be gradual in a letter he had written.
“Italy can start to discuss with Baghdad authorities and
coalition allies the possible and gradual withdrawal of the
military mission in Nasiriyah starting in September,” Berlusconi
added, according to Reuters.
Critics say Berlusconi is bowing to pressure and is torn between
his constituents and allies. The majority of the Italian public
has been vehemently opposed to the U.S.-led occupation in Iraq
as evidenced by the numerous political rallies, editorials and
surveys taken by Italian media. In total, 21 Italian servicemen
have been killed in Iraq, 19 of them during a suicide bombing in
Nasiriyah in November 2003.
As incidents occur such as the kidnapping of two Italian women
working in Iraq with underprivileged children, the public has
grown more vocal about its desire to bring the troupes home.
Recently, Italian intelligence agent Nicola Calipari was
accidentally shot and killed by U.S. forces while freeing and
protecting hostage Giuliana Sgrena, a reporter for a leftist
newspaper who had been kidnapped by an insurgent group in Iraq
while researching a story. This latest incident was fuel for the
anti-war opposition.
The loss of Calipari, Sgrena’s injuries caused by the shooting
and her inflammatory comments blaming the United States seemed
to be Berlusconi’s last straw as he seeks re-election in 2006,
say political experts. His alliance with Bush and the sluggish
economy have sunk his approval ratings down to 43%, according to
a Demos-Eurisko poll recently published by the publication La
Repubblica.
Berlusconi has already demanded a full investigation into the
shooting. Bush says that the Italians failed to stop at numerous
U.S. checkpoints, which is why Americans drew fire. Berlusconi
denies that explanation. And Sgrena has suggested that the
Americans did it on purpose because Bush’s government is against
negotiating or paying ransom to kidnappers, which some experts
say the Italians did to free Sgrena and other hostages to keep
the number of casualties low. The Italian government has denied
paying ransom.
In addition to the general discontent with the occupation in
Iraq, the flip flopping on the troupe withdrawal issue has made
Berlusconi an even bigger target in Italy. “It’s a world record
– the withdrawal of an announced withdrawal in half a day,” said
opposition leader Francesco Rutelli.
But Italians and Italian Americans say this is no laughing
matter. They recognize Calipari as a hero but do not buy into
the theory that the Americans shot him on purpose, said Berardo
Paradiso, president of the Italian American Chamber of Commerce
in New York, as reported in Libero. “The Italians must remain in
Iraq because to leave now would be like saying, ‘We are no
longer with the Americans,’” he had added.
There is only one certainty right now. The Italian people – at
home or living abroad – will have the final say with their
ballots.
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