October 17, 2002	Thursday	Sha'aban 10, 1423

MOSCOW, Oct 16: Russia should take steps towards joining the European Union to help counterbalance the might of the United States, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said in Moscow on Wednesday.

With Russia as a member, the European bloc could “become a militarily and politically powerful entity, capable of sharing with the United States the role of protector and guarantor of peace in the world”, Berlusconi said.

The Italian leader, a supporter of military strikes against Iraq, was on a daylong visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to campaign for a strike against the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Russia’s relations with Italy and the European Union were also on the agenda.

Putin asked for support from Italy — which will assume the rotating EU presidency next year — on the much-disputed future of Kaliningrad.—AFP