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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Italian coalition 'to back Prodi' | Italian coalition 'to back Prodi' |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| Parties in Italy's governing coalition have agreed a 12-point deal backing Romano Prodi to continue as prime minister, his spokesman said. | |
| The apparent accord came a day after Mr Prodi resigned after losing a key Senate vote on his foreign policy. | The apparent accord came a day after Mr Prodi resigned after losing a key Senate vote on his foreign policy. |
| Several of his coalition partners had opposed Italian troop deployments in Afghanistan and plans to expand a US airbase in Italy. | Several of his coalition partners had opposed Italian troop deployments in Afghanistan and plans to expand a US airbase in Italy. |
| President Giorgio Napolitano is to hold talks with political leaders on Friday. | |
| The deal came late on Thursday as Mr Prodi held talks with leaders of his centre-left coalition partners. | |
| "We have all agreed to the programme so that he can continue to govern," Reuters news agency quoted his spokesman, Silvio Sircana, as saying. | "We have all agreed to the programme so that he can continue to govern," Reuters news agency quoted his spokesman, Silvio Sircana, as saying. |
| Reports said the 12-point programme included support for Italy's military presence in Afghanistan. | Reports said the 12-point programme included support for Italy's military presence in Afghanistan. |
| Senate vote | Senate vote |
| President Napolitano will have the final decision on whether Mr Prodi should go to parliament with his present cabinet for a vote of confidence or form a new government. | |
| But the concern, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Rome, will be that the same risks are there. | |
| With only a one-seat majority in the Senate Mr Prodi is still vulnerable. | |
| In some areas the policy divisions are so deep that it is hard to see why in the medium term a new Prodi government would be any more stable than the first, whatever the parties may say, our correspondent adds. | |
| Mr Prodi's government was brought down by two communist senators who rebelled against their own parties for the key vote on Wednesday. | |
| The motion had asked the Senate to approve the government's foreign policy and although it was not a formal confidence vote, Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema had urged the government to resign if it could not win the Senate's backing. | The motion had asked the Senate to approve the government's foreign policy and although it was not a formal confidence vote, Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema had urged the government to resign if it could not win the Senate's backing. |
| Mr Prodi's government had been forced on the defensive over the continued deployment of 2,000 Italian troops in Afghanistan, with strong opposition from some of his more left-wing coalition partners. | Mr Prodi's government had been forced on the defensive over the continued deployment of 2,000 Italian troops in Afghanistan, with strong opposition from some of his more left-wing coalition partners. |
| Plans for the expansion of a big US military base in Vicenza, northern Italy, had also sparked protests both within his government and on the street, with large demonstrations in Vicenza at the weekend. | Plans for the expansion of a big US military base in Vicenza, northern Italy, had also sparked protests both within his government and on the street, with large demonstrations in Vicenza at the weekend. |