Berlusconi worried about violence during Bush trip

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said yesterday he was worried about violent demonstrations against US President George W. Bush during a visit to Rome.

"The information that we have worries us about the kind of demonstrations that could take place tomorrow," he told a news conference hours before Bush's arrival in the Italian capital.

Anti-war protesters have planned demonstrations against Bush over the Iraq war, and Italian officials have said they feared some could become violent.

The US president is scheduled to arrive in Rome early today and to remain until tomorrow.

Mr Berlusconi appealed to Italians to receive Mr Bush as the "representative of a great country that saved us from Nazism, helped us grow with the Marshall Plan and protected us for 50 years from threats of Soviet missiles".

Mr Berlusconi told the hastily called news conference he hoped Italy would "show its maturity and understanding of history".

He said he was not worried about peaceful dissent, calling it the essence of democracy.

"What worries me instead is possible violence, that absurd violence that we have seen too often. I am worried about young people... who burn flags, break windows or worse," he said.

Italy is braced for trouble during Mr Bush's visit, which commemorates the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi-occupied Rome by Allied soldiers on June 4, 1944.

Some officials fear a repeat of the violent clashes that marred a G8 summit in the northern city of Genoa three years ago when one protester was killed by police.

Mr Bush told Italy's RAI television on Monday he did not mind peaceful protests, saying they could be "a healthy sign".

Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu has said he was "concerned but not frightened" by what he called serious threats during the 36-hour visit.

Some 10,000 uniformed police, many bussed from outside Rome, began to deploy in Italy's capital yesterday. Sharpshooters were to take up positions in parts of the city, officials said.

Planes have been barred from parts of Rome's airspace during the visit, and a Nato spokesman said the alliance planned to send AWAC surveillance planes to Italy to patrol the skies.