Italy says concerned about Kosovo plight

ROME (Albanian Times) - The breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo is a greater immediate concern for Italian peacekeepers than missions in Lebanon or Afghanistan, Italy's defense minister said on Tuesday.

Italy has the second-largest NATO contingent in Kosovo, with more than 2,200 troops. It also leads the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon and a regional command in Afghanistan.

Arturo Parisi said potential change in Kosovo trumped short-term security concerns elsewhere, describing Afghanistan, for example, as "stable in its instability".

"Kosovo is surely (the biggest concern). It is exposed to a change and therefore a possible stress," Parisi told Reuters in an interview. "It is also the closest region (to Italy)."

Kosovo's president said on Tuesday he wanted to launch a bid for independence days after a December 10 deadline for international mediation efforts. Pristina has firmly rejected Serbia's offer of broad autonomy to the 90 percent ethnic Albanian province.

After Kosovo, Parisi said Italy's next biggest short-term concern was in Lebanon, where Italy heads the U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL.

Deeply divided Lebanese leaders on Tuesday postponed a presidential election until Friday, intensifying a political crisis that could end in rival administrations and violence.

"We're dealing with an unsettled situation," Parisi said.

REFINANCING RISK

The spotlight in Italy focuses on Rome's military activity in Afghanistan, a controversial subject at home.

Financing that mission will be Prime Minister Romano Prodi's first major legislative challenge of 2008 and nearly brought down his centre-left government last February when pacifist allies rebelled.

Prodi tendered his resignation, but secured power after winning a confidence vote in parliament.

Parisi did not rule out turbulence this time around, but insisted the centre-left majority would not collapse over it.

"The majority will agree on the decisions it has made previously on other opportunities," he said.

Parisi praised NATO's selection last week of an Italian to chair the Military Committee, its highest-ranking uniformed position. He said this was recognition of Italy's efforts, while downplaying past requests by NATO and the United States for allies like Italy to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Asked about his recent meeting with U.S. defense Secretary Robert Gates, Parisi said he received no requests from Washington to boost its role in Afghanistan, or anywhere else.

"All that I found was appreciation," he said.

He also spoke highly of Gates as part of a second phase of U.S. policy after what he termed go-it-alone "unilateralism". He said this change made it easier for Italian-U.S. relations regarding security.

"Gates is the minister of this second season," he said, describing this as "a phase in which America has had a chance to reflect on the difficulties of (the past)". (Reuters)