Berlusconi flies to US under pressure to change Iraq policy

ROME (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi flies to the United States with pressure mounting on him to seek a radical change of policy from President George W. Bush (news - web sites) over the occupation of Iraq (news - web sites).


Berlusconi, who contributed 3,000 troops to the US-led force despite the opposition of most Italians, was to see UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) at the United Nations (news - web sites) in New York late Tuesday before travelling to Washington for talks with Bush on Wednesday.


According to an opinion poll in La Repubblica newspaper, more then 60 percent of Italians want the troops home by June 30, when the United States plans to hand sovereignty to a transitional Iraqi government charged with preparing elections in January 2005.


The poll was carried out Monday after a corporal died of wounds suffered in a six-hour battle with militiamen loyal to the Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr in the southern city of Nasiriyah, becoming the first Italian soldier killed in combat in Iraq.

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more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040518/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_italy_us_un_berlusconi&cid=1514&ncid=1480

and I'm guessing it's too much to pay. Anybody in their RIGHT mind...from foreign allies to Republicans...who have a survival instinct are jumping off the SS BUSHCO sinking ship. Unfortunately rats can swim.