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COPYRIGHT 2006 United Press International
Berlusconi to keep Iraq pullout date
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Italy plans to withdraw its troops from Iraq because local officials are ready to handle security in the area.
Berlusconi met Tuesday with U.S. President George Bush to talk about the role of NATO in Afghanistan, the nuclear issue with Iran and the war in Iraq.
The Italian contingent of 3,000 soldiers is to leave Iraq by year's end because "we have trained 10,000 law enforcement people who can guarantee the respect of peace," Berlusconi said through a translator.
The United States has some 130,000 military personnel in Iraq. Bush has said any reduction in force would reflect the security situation on the ground, and the training of Iraqi forces to keep the peace is part of the plan. Nearly 2,300 U.S. troops have died in Iraq.
"I want to reassure President Bush and his people that when an American solider dies for the cause of...
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