President George W Bush will host a key Iraq ally, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, at his Crawford, Texas, ranch on July 20th-21st, the White House announced today.
"Italy is among the United States' closest allies in NATO, and has been a strong supporter in the global war on terrorism and in bringing peace and democracy to Iraq," White House spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer said.
They will discuss issues such as stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, peace and security in the Middle East region, continuing the fight against terrorism, and strengthening trans-Atlantic relations, Fleischer said.
In the two weeks since assuming the rotating presidency of the European Union, Berlusconi has spent much of his time trying to douse the flames of scandal caused by comments he made against a German politician.
On the second day of the six-month presidency, which began on July 1st, Berlusconi compared a German member of the European parliament to a Nazi concentration camp guard, sparking international outrage and a diplomatic row.