Franco Frattini: 'Solidarity With America'.(World Affairs)(Interview)

Byline: Daniel Klaidman and Barbie Nadeau

Now in his second stint as foreign minister under Silvio Berlusconi, Franco Frattini is easily Italy's most serious politician. From his suite in Rome, Frattini chatted with NEWSWEEK's Daniel Klaidman and Barbie Nadeau about Italy's willingness to use soldiers in Afghanistan and his government's renewed commitment to resettle Guantanamo detainees as a gesture of "solidarity" with the United States. Frattini, whose temperament has been called more Scandinavian than Italian, showed passion only in defending Berlusconi against a tabloid-alleged affair with an 18-year-old underwear model from Naples. Excerpts:

You canceled a state visit to Tehran, which would have violated the EU ban on high-level diplomatic contact. Why were you going to go?

There is no ban. There is an informal agreement that until a final solution on the nuclear dossier is found, no political contacts can be made with the Iranian authorities except by [EU foreign minister] Javier Solana. My visit was an institutional duty as president of the G8, and Afghanistan-Pakistan stabilization is priority No. 1 for G8 foreign policy -- In a conversation with [Richard] Holbrooke and Hillary Clinton, we decided that I should try to involve Iran at the highest political level below their president.

You have increased the number of troops in Afghanistan, but you still have limits on what these troops can do?

We are ready to do even more, but we need our soldiers to have full access to all intelligence related to the ground situation--confidential information provided by the American authorities.

Berlusconi has said Italy would consider taking in some Guantanamo detainees.