Prodi under fire after urging Iraq troop recall

European Commission chief Romano Prodi, who has assumed leadership of a group of Italian centre-left parties, came under fire yesterday for saying they would bring Italian troops back from Iraq if they were in power.

Mr Prodi, a former Italian prime minister who has been outlining policy for the opposition centre-left "Olive Tree" coalition, said on Saturday the parties wanted the United Nations to lead operations in Iraq and replace US-led occupation forces.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini shot back yesterday, accusing Mr Prodi of an "illegitimate" use of his position as European Commission president.

"Prodi is using the argument employed by part of the left, but he's doing it wearing the cap of the European (Commission) president, a seriously illegitimate use of the post," Mr Frattini said in an interview with Corriere della Sera daily.

Italy's opposition was buoyed by the general election win two weeks ago of Spain's Socialists, who had campaigned on a pledge to withdraw Spanish forces from Iraq.

But Italy's left and centre-left parties have failed to capitalise on broad Italian opposition to the war in Iraq and subsequent deployment there of almost 3,000 Italian troops.

Mr Prodi's comments, which spelled out the centre-left's position on Iraq ahead of European Parliament elections in June, were published in a letter to Corriere on Saturday, angering Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's coalition government.

"If the Olive Tree today found itself responsible for the government, for the problem of whether to continue or interrupt its participation in this war, I don't hesitate to say that the choice would be to put an end to its intervention," Mr Prodi said in the letter.

Mr Frattini dismissed the idea, saying such a move would be seen as "weakness in the face of terrorism".

Mr Prodi is the only man to have beaten Mr Berlusconi at a general election, in 1996, and has an eye to fighting the next ballot due in 2006 as leader of the centre left.

Mr Berlusconi last month said Mr Prodi should leave his job in Brussels if he wanted to become his political rival in Italy.