ROME - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday that his country would begin withdrawing its troops from Iraq in September, shortly after lawmakers voted to maintain the 3,000-strong force for another six months.
"We will begin a progressive reduction of the number of our soldiers in Iraq in September," Berlusconi told RAI state television.
But he said the question of withdrawing the contingent "will depend on the capacity of the Iraqi government to give itself an acceptable security structure."
Berlusconi said he had spoken with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and had concluded that public opinion in both countries favored a troop withdrawal.
"I spoke to Tony Blair about it, and public opinion in our countries is expecting this decision".
Italian deputies voted by a large majority Tuesday to maintain Rome`s 3,000 troops in Iraq for another six months, mirroring the approval of the upper house Senate last month.
Berlusconi`s centre-right government deployed the peacekeeping force in June 2003, following the US-led invasion of Iraq. Italy fields the third-largest contingent of foreign troops in the country, after the United States and Britain.
Lawmakers in the chamber of deputies voted by 246 to 180 against, with eight abstentions in Tuesday`s vote. The Senate had on February 16 already voted by a large majority to extend the mission.
03/15/2005 19:03 GMT