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Nasiriyah tragedy leaves Italy shocked

By Vaiju Naravane

Paris Nov. 16. Twenty Italian soldiers and civilians wounded in a deadly suicide attack in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah earlier this week returned to a sombre homecoming aboard a military transport plane on Saturday.

A deeply shocked nation is preparing for a state funeral for 18 military policemen who were killed in the attack. Several Iraqis today demonstrated in Nasiriyah in support of the slain and wounded Carabinieri who were popular with the local population and seen as friendly and helpful. The suicide attack inflicted the heaviest blow Italian forces have suffered since the end of the Second World War.

Some of the dead as well as the wounded were due to have ended their tour of duty today.

After the shock and anger provoked by the attack, Italy's main cities assumed a funereal atmosphere as the country prepared for a state funeral next Tuesday, which the Government has decreed will be a day of mourning. .

Italy, meanwhile, despatched another 75 Carabinieri to Iraq on Friday on top of 50 sent there the day before, as part of the rotation of its 2,700-strong force in Iraq.

There has been surprisingly little criticism of the Government led by the Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who said he was firm in his resolve to keep Italian troops and police forces in Iraq to help rebuild that country. Opposition has come mainly from the Green and extreme left parties. The main Opposition party, the Olive Tree Alliance, called for the troops to be placed under U.N. command.

"It might sound ironical but this sad incident has helped Silvio Berlusconi bring about national reconciliation. When he gave unstinted support to President Bush in his war against Iraq, the majority of Italy's population was against war. There were huge anti-war demonstrations across the country. Now, with 18 Italians dead and several others wounded, the mood in Italy is defiant. People are saying, "we should not be cowed down by terrorists. Recalling our troops now would be like conceding defeat," the political commentator, Sergio Romano, told The Hindu.

A poll, however, shows that while just over half the Italian population supports the Prime Minister's decision to maintain troops in Iraq, a substantial minority — as much as 44.5 per cent — would like the troops to be brought back home.

French call

Meanwhile, France has called for an immediate U.S. policy shift on Iraq. Commenting on the wave of terrorist attacks against coalition forces in Iraq, the French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin, on Thursday proposed the creation of a consultative assembly that could form a provisional government in the war-torn country.

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