Italy's New Foreign Minister Affirms Ties

Sun May 21, 6:10 PM ET

ROME - Italy's new leftist governing coalition will follow the rest of Europe in isolating the Hamas-led Palestinian government and also upholds the country's friendship with the United States despite disagreement over Iraq, the foreign minister says.

Massimo D'Alema, a former Communist who was Italian premier in 1998-2000, made the comments in a newspaper interview published Sunday, four days after Italy's new government was sworn in replacing that of conservative Silvio Berlusconi, a close ally of the Bush administration.

Italy stands with "Europe's unanimous position that tends to isolate Hamas," D'Alema told L'Unita, a leftist newspaper friendly to his Democrats of the Left party.

"We do not believe that a government that denies Israel's right to exist can be a part of a peace process," D'Alema said. "That's an essential point."

He added, however, that the Palestinian people must be helped even if the Hamas regime is cut off financially. "It would not be acceptable for the international community or convenient for Israel for there to be a humanitarian collapse in the territories," he said.

D'Alema also said it would be wrong for Israel to act on its own in drawing permanent borders, saying that would endanger chances for a negotiated solution.

Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he will set the borders, with or without agreement from the Palestinians, by 2010, dismantling many West Bank settlements but incorporating the largest settlement blocs into Israel.

Italy, and its left wing in particular, has been sympathetic to the Palestinians, while Berlusconi's conservative government was more friendly to Israel.

D'Alema said the new government, led by Premier Romano Prodi, reiterates Italy's friendly relationship with the United States, but noted that Iraq is a hurdle.

"Our friendship with the United States cannot remove the awareness that there's a disagreement about this with the Bush administration," D'Alema said. "On the other hand, it's a disagreement that also exists in American society."

The government said Saturday it would begin planning the withdrawal of Italian troops from Iraq this week.

Prodi called the war "a grave error" last week. In contrast, Berlusconi defied opposition at home and sent about 3,000 soldiers to Iraq to help with reconstruction after the ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003, then began withdrawing troops before Italy's election last month.

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