Deputy Premier Francesco Rutelli on Wednesday swept aside doubts over the unity of the ruling centre-left coalition on foreign policy issues such as Italy's peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.
Rutelli indicated that an evening meeting of Premier Romano Prodi's allies, called to iron out differences on at least two key issues, had gone well and left-wing parties were keen to avoid a crisis.
"All the parties are committed to confirming the validity of Italy's foreign policy. This is extremely positive," he said on the sidelines of a conference in Rome.
A crucial question discussed at Tuesday night's summit was Italy's participation in peacekeeping activities in Afghanistan.
Three left-wing parties in Prodi's coalition want Italy to withdraw its troops, arguing that the situation in the country has become too dangerous for the mission to still be considered one of peacekeeping.
Prodi has repeated several times that troops will stay for the foreseeable future and he reportedly made this point clear again On Tuesday night.
The question is serious for Prodi because a measure approving funding for the mission is soon to come before parliament and the centre left has a razor-thin majority in the upper house.
Any defections by leftist Senators could mean the government would face the embarrassment of being unable to approve the funding without help from the opposition.
The centre right has already accused the government of lacking a majority on foreign policy and demanded Prodi's resignation.
It expressed scorn for the new-found unity which centre-left parties said emerged from Tuesday's meeting, saying it would "melt like snow in the sun".
After three hours of talks, Prodi's allies put out a short statement saying three things: 1) the members of the governing coalition will not change; 2) there was "full support" for the government's foreign policy; and 3) the coalition will move ahead according to its programme.
Foreign Undersecretary Gianni Vernetti, commenting on Tuesday's summit, said it was "a frank, open sincere discussion which produced a positive result".
"Italy's commitment in Afghanistan is confirmed. We will not leave that country alone. Italy's presence there is strong and respected," he added.
When Prodi met allies on Tuesday, he was also believed to have discussed the planned expansion of an American military base in the northern city of Vicenza.
This second issue has divided the government, with the same parties that oppose the Afghanistan mission also opposing the expansion.
It was not mentioned in comments by centre-left allies on Wednesday.
