ITALY: Silvio Berlusconi, one of George Bush's closest allies, says he repeatedly tried to talk the US president out of invading Iraq, in comments to be broadcast today.
In the television interview, which goes out on the day the Italian prime minister flies to Washington to meet Mr Bush, Mr Berlusconi says he even enlisted the help of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gadafy in behind-the-scenes efforts to stop America going to war.
"I have never been convinced war was the best way to succeed in making a country democratic and extract it from an albeit bloody dictatorship," he says. "I tried on several occasions to convince the American president not to wage war."
His version of events, recounted in an interview with the La7 private TV station, with excerpts reported by the Apcom and Ansa news agencies at the weekend, was backed by his deputy, Gianfranco Fini, leader of the former neo-fascist party, who said: "We tried right up to the end to persuade Bush and Blair not to launch a military attack."
Mr Berlusconi said one of the "other ways and other solutions" he had tried was a "joint action" with Col Gadafy, whose country is a former Italian colony.
Coming after Lewis Libby's indictment capped a crisis week for the Bush administration, Mr Berlusconi's remarks will be seen by many in Washington as treacherous. Italy's prime minister is standing for re-election in just over five months and polls indicate that his support for Mr Bush is a major handicap. He became closely identified with Mr Bush soon after coming to office in 2001 and avoided criticism of US policy in the run-up to the war. In March 2003 he told parliament the use of force against Iraq was legitimate and Italy could not abandon the Americans "in their fight against terrorism".
Yesterday Mr Berlusconi's aides played down the remarks, pointing to two earlier occasions on which he had alluded to "doubts" and "reservations" about the invasion. Il Giornale, a newspaper owned by the Berlusconi family, quoted the prime minister as saying in November 2003 he had "expressed disagreement with Bush on the military action in Iraq".
His latest remarks were nevertheless at odds with public perceptions of his stance and astonished his political rivals.
"What's going on?" asked Romano Prodi, the leader of the centre-left. "Has he finally realised the war was wrong? Well, let him say so. He told Bush? Well, it means he doesn't count for anything at all."
Though Italian troops did not take part in the invasion of Iraq they have played a prominent role since. Italy's 3,000-strong contingent is the third largest in the US-led coalition. Mr Berlusconi has repeatedly indicated that he intends to reduce Italy's presence, and an initial withdrawal of 300 soldiers took place in September.
But at least one opposition politician suggested the prime minister might have been trying in advance to limit damage to his administration from the "CIA-gate" scandal. The document at the origin of the affair, which indicated that Saddam Hussein's regime tried to buy uranium in Africa, was allegedly forged by an Italian with links to the intelligence services.
Last week La Repubblica suggested it had been passed to the US. The government has acknowledged that the head of Italy's military intelligence met the then national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, in September 2002, shortly before the document was distributed to US intelligence agencies. But it said the uranium dossier played no part in their talks. Last night Mr Berlusconi gave full backing to his spymaster, Nicolo Pollari, who is alleged to have passed on forged documents.