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Vice President Dick Cheney made his last scheduled trip to Italy Tuesday, issuing remarks that praised the relationship between the two nations, stating that "relations between Italy and the United States are as strong as they've ever been." In a joint appearance with Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Cheney stressed the unity between the two nations. The U.S. and Italy stand together on Iran, Cheney said, stating that he and the Italian Prime Minister "agreed that Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon."

Iran, Iraq and other hot spots topped discussions between U.S. President George Bush and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Thursday in Rome. "We did have a wideranging discussion," Bush said during a news conference. "I appreciate very much the fact that Italy is meeting international obligations." Bush noted that U.S. citizens probably didn't realize how many Italian troops were deployed around the world, including 8,700 troops in areas such as Kosovo and Chad. "We talked about Iraq, how Iraq is changing for the better, how people are beginning to realize the blessings of a free and peaceful society," Bush said,...

Italy has about 2,700 troops in Afghanistan but has so far -- like France, Germany and Spain -- been reluctant to send them to the south and east where the Taliban are most active. This has caused tension with the NATO command and Washington. Since coming to power in May, Berlusconi's government has talked of "limited" deployment to combat zones but Bush said he went further and talked of scrapping the so-called "caveat". "I appreciate very much the fact that the government announced to the parliament with your instructions, Mr Prime Minister, that the caveats that have restricted your forces...

NASSIRIYA, Iraq (Reuters) -- Italy will redouble its efforts to help the reconstruction of Iraq even after withdrawing its troops this year, new Defense Minister Arturo Parisi said. "The withdrawal does not mean we are turning our back on the Iraqis," Parisi said Tuesday during his first visit to Italy's military contingent in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya. "Italy's commitment will proceed through strengthened political, civil and humanitarian assistance, and support for (Iraq's) institutions and the reconstruction of the country." However, Parisi said it was too early to say whether Italy would keep civilians in Iraq after its soldiers...

ROME - Italy will pull 1,100 of its troops from Iraq in June, the new government said Friday, giving its first specific numbers about the planned withdrawal. "In June we will reduce our troops from 2,700 to 1,600," Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said during an evening television show. His announcement came hours after he met with Premier Romano Prodi to map Italy's exit strategy from the U.S.-led coalition. Most Italian troops in Iraq are in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. They are involved in training, security and reconstruction. The decision to withdraw this many troops by June belongs to...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and visiting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi insisted US-Italy ties were strong, brushing aside tensions on a range of issues including the war in Iraq. The meeting came after Berlusconi said in a forthcoming television interview that he had repeatedly tried to dissuade Bush from going to war to oust Saddam Hussein and that "it would have been better to avoid military action." At the White House, however, Berlusconi made no mention of such misgivings and instead took pains to praise his host as they met in the Oval Office, saying: "I...

Hallo everybody. It’s again me, Claudia from Italy. Last July I went to America, just for vacation. (Actually it was my “maturity vacation”… I’ve just finished my high school and I took this trip before to start university next October). I’ve already posted some threads about my trip, but some of you asked me more. And that’s exactly what I’m gonna do. I spent more than a mount in America. I stayed in New York City and Washington D.C. Two very beautiful cities, very different, but so interesting. What can I say about America? Your land is a wonderful one....

Italy is to begin withdrawing its troops from Iraq in September 2005, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said. He told Rai state television the pullout would take place "in agreement with our allies". Italy has 3,000 troops in Iraq - the fourth largest foreign contingent. Domestic opposition to Italy's involvement in Iraq intensified after the killing of an Italian agent by US troops in Baghdad earlier this month. The announcement comes weeks after the Italian Senate voted to extend the country's military presence in Iraq beyond June. Mr Berlusconi has been one of US President George W Bush's staunchest...

MADRID- Spain welcomed a decision by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to begin withdrawing the country's troops from Iraq from September. The Spanish media saw the approach of Italy's regional elections as prompting the move. Spain's Socialist government withdrew its own troops, sent in by the previous conservative administration, shortly after taking office last April. A government source said Madrid "clearly welcomes with joy" news of Berlusconi's announcement. Spain's government pulled its troops out in line with an electoral pledge, the decision to send them into Iraq having been hugely unpopular with the electorate. Berlusconi's move to deploy 3,000 troops,...

Italy will start withdrawing its troops from Iraq in September, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said. More to follow...

US President George W. Bush was expected to hear European worries about the weak dollar as he welcomed Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for talks also set to focus on violence in Iraq. Bush and Berlusconi, who staunchly backed the US-led March 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein,were to meet in the Oval office around 11:25 am (1625 GMT) and hold a brief joint public appearance afterwards. White House spokesman Scott McClellan praised Rome's "important contributions" to building democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq and said the two leaders would discuss "how we can continue to move forward together. Bush also...

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Friday he hoped incumbent President Bush would win the Nov. 2 election against his Democratic rival John Kerry. "We hope and believe that the next president will again be Bush," Berlusconi told reporters during campaigning for Italian local elections on the island of Ischia, in southern Italy. Despite rooting for Bush, Berlusconi added that whoever wins the election "we are loyal allies of the United States and we will continue in our policy of friendship." Italy is one of Washington's closest European allies in its war on terror. The country has around 2,700...

Italy, a nation that has bled for Iraq, is smarting anew over an old Kerry slap broadcast on Italian television this week. "The Iraqi army," Mr. Kerry said before the war, "is in such bad shape, even the Italian army could kick their butts." So much for politesse, or lack thereof — something to expect in a Kerry administration.

Yesterday your fine President Bush said that our Italian military killed and so died in Nassirya (Iraq) were heroes of this terrible war on terror. Today Italy is proud to say "THANK YOU, GEORGE". We are still with you.

Thank you so much! I'm Italian and my English is bad, I know. In my last thread I've made some mistakes. And I'm sorry about it. I've recived a lot of mail from you, my dear American friends. Everybody said that they love Italy and that they are with my country in this orrible hours. Thank you so much for your words, dears. I'm so proud to stand with you today. I'm so proud to believe in the Republican American Party. We will not surrender. Never. Italy is with you in this war. We are in Iraq because we believed...

BUSH IN ROME: BERLUSCONI'S DECLARATION (AGI) - Rome, Italy, June 3 - Here is the entire text of the prime minister's speech: "A people which forgets its past cannot build a bright future. That's why it is right for us Italians to recall the 4th June 1944, when, sixty years ago, the allies freed Rome, our capital, from the Nazis, two days before the US troops landed in Normandy, to liberate Europe. Those were the last days of our winter. The US president is now on visit in Europe to commemorate those painful but glorious days. He will come to...

(AGI) - Rome, Italy, June 3 - Here is the entire text of the prime minister's speech: "A people which forgets its past cannot build a bright future. That's why it is right for us Italians to recall the 4th June 1944, when, sixty years ago, the allies freed Rome, our capital, from the Nazis, two days before the US troops landed in Normandy, to liberate Europe. Those were the last days of our winter. The US president is now on visit in Europe to commemorate those painful but glorious days. He will come to Rome, then to Paris and...

Berlusconi vows to stay 'to the very end' with US in Iraq, bashes opposition Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi strongly defended Italy's military presence in Iraq, slamming the opposition for demanding a withdrawal from the US-led coalition and accusing them of serving the interests of the "enemies of democracy". "Italy will remain in Iraq and remain faithful to its military objectives for peace as long as the armed gangs are not defeated", he told parliament. "Italy considers that it is its duty and its honor to remain to the very end at the side of those who defend the United Nations...

ROME (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledged his country's troops would continue in Iraq (news - web sites) guaranteeing security until a power transfer to the new Iraqi government. He also expressed cautious optimism about the chances of freeing three Italian hostages. Berlusconi suggested the departure of Spanish troops meant Italy was now Washington's closest ally in continental Europe. "Italian forces will remain in Iraq to guarantee the security until the power transfer to the new Iraqi government," he said in a statement. "Italian troops and humanitarian organisations continue their commitment to humanitarian operations supporting the population...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi vowed on Thursday to keep troops in Iraq (news - web sites) despite the killing of an Italian hostage in scenes Al Jazeera said were too bloody to screen. "They have destroyed a life. They have not cracked our values and our efforts for peace," Berlusconi said in a statement after the killing of security guard Fabrizio Quattrocchi. The killing by a previously unheard of Iraqi group followed a spate of kidnappings that has snared foreign civilians from at least a dozen countries this month, Iraq's bloodiest period since Saddam Hussein (news...