This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/6383051.stm
The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Italy government loses key vote | Italy government loses key vote |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The Italian government has lost a key vote in its upper house of parliament on the country's foreign policy. | |
| The Senate, where Prime Minister Romano Prodi's coalition holds a one-seat majority, voted against the government, prompting calls for its resignation. | |
| Italy's foreign minister said earlier that the government should step down if the motion was not approved, saying it was a crucial test of government unity. | |
| The motion was on troop deployment in Afghanistan and a US airbase in Italy. | |
| Italy has some 1,900 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan under Nato command. | Italy has some 1,900 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan under Nato command. |
| The announcement of the result was met by shouts of "resign! resign!" by right-wing senators. | |
| Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema had urged senators to approve the motion, saying unity was crucial for Italy to retain its place on the world stage. | |
| "I say it loud and clear, this is what we need [...] and we are asked here to request this consensus." | |
| But a large number of senators decided to abstain from the vote, equivalent to voting against it. | |
| "To be consistent, the government must now resign," Opposition senator Roberto Calderoli said after the result. | |
| Analysts say that the outcome reveals the fragility of Mr Prodi's grip on power, coming just weeks after two Communist and one Green minister walked out of a cabinet vote on Afghanistan. |