The Italian foreign ministry said on Thursday it was surprised by US criticism of the terms negotiated for the Monday release of an Italian kidnapped by the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.
Confirming that five Taliban prisoners had been released in exchange for the life of journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, Ministry spokesman Pasquale Ferrara said complaints over the deal were an "unexpected initiative".
He said it was a "fresh development" that had come after a meeting between Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington on Monday.
D'Alema told reporters after his talks with Rice that the hostage deal would not have been possible without "the Afghan government's cooperation and the US government's understanding". He added that there had been "no trace of American irritation" over the case.
But on Wednesday, a senior official in US President George W. Bush's administration told ANSA that Washington had expressed "disappointment" over the deal.
The official, who asked not to be named, said that "striking deals with kidnappers is never a positive thing" and that the released militants would go on to help the Taliban fight US and other NATO forces in Afghanistan.
"This increases the risks for our troops, Afghan troops and international forces," he said.
"We did not and do not approve of concessions to terrorists," he said, adding that Washington had been "taken by surprise" by the swap.
At the same time, an official at the British Foreign Office told ANSA that the British government was "concerned by the implications of the release of the Taliban" and had raised the matter with both Rome and Kabul.
The unnamed official said it had "sent the wrong message" to the Taliban and risked encouraging kidnappings.
The Italian Foreign Ministry stressed in a statement issued Wednesday evening that the US criticism had come from an "anonymous source" and that there had been no official complaints from US diplomatic officials.
The statement went on to highlight the "very positive atmosphere" of Monday's talks between D'Alema and Rice, and US praise of Italy's contribution in Afghanistan, where it has 1,900 troops serving under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Ministry spokesman Ferrara said on Thursday that any US criticism of the hostage deal fitted in with America's "long-standing stance" on such issues and was "nothing new".
"There may be differences of opinion but collaboration between allies in Afghanistan remains solid," he said.
Ferrara also said that Italian diplomats were discussing the case with British officials.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's spokesman said this week that the Mastrogiacomo case was "exceptional" and would not be repeated in future.
"The Taliban presented their demands, some of which were satisfied. It was an exceptional measure which reflected the value of our relations with Italy," the spokesman said.
He did not say exactly how many prisoners were released or provide any of their names but one of them was reported to be Mansoor Ahmad, the brother of top Taliban military commander Mullah Dadullah.
Two other commanders, Hambdullah and Abdol Ghaffar, are believed to have been freed together with a former Taliban spokesman and a Taliban culture representative.
According to unconfirmed media reports, one of the released militants is accused of killing a British soldier.
GOVT RAPPED AT HOME.
The Italian centre-right opposition also accused Prodi of "giving in to terrorists" and encouraging the Taliban to carry out more kidnappings.
It argued that "freeing Taliban terrorists" went against the purpose of NATO's mission to secure Afghanistan and defeat the Taliban insurgency there and called for a parliamentary discussion of the case.
Ex-premier and opposition chief Silvio Berlusconi said on Wednesday that Italy's credibility was damaged and that "it's clear we are no longer a trustworthy ally for the US".
This line was repeated on Thursday by Berlusconi's main ally, rightist National Alliance chief Gianfranco Fini.
Mastrogiacomo, 52, was held for 15 days by the Taliban. He was captured while attempting to interview Taliban leaders in the southern province of Helmand, where NATO has just unleashed the biggest offensive since the 2001 war that toppled the Islamists.
Of the two Afghan collaborators seized with him, one was beheaded by the Taliban while the other has disappeared, suspected of being detained by the Afghan secret services.
The hostage swap made front page headlines in the US on Thursday, with dailies highlighting that it appeared to be the first time that prisoners had been openly exchanged for a hostage in the conflicts under way in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Mastrogiacomo kidnapping came at a delicate time for Prodi, who is seeking to keep pacifist allies in line over Italy's mission in Afghanistan.
Prodi briefly resigned last month after his government lost a foreign policy vote in the Senate. Another crucial Senate vote is scheduled to be held next Tuesday on the refinancing of the Afghan mission.
A handful of pacifists in Prodi's fragile nine-party coalition are threatening to vote against the measure, arguing that Afghanistan has become too dangerous for a peacekeeping mission.
Any defections in the Senate could prove fatal for Prodi, who holds only two more Senate seats than Berlusconi.
