April 29, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1429

ROME, April 28: Italian troops will stay in Afghanistan despite the change of government in Rome, the incoming foreign minister said in an interview published on Monday. “It’s not time to pull out,” Franco Frattini told the Corriere della Sera.

“The attack on Hamid Karzai shows once again that Italy and its partners not only cannot withdraw from Afghanistan but also that they should pursue the UN and Nato goals” of democratising the country and fighting the Taliban, he said.

Italy has some 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, stationed in the relatively calm western province of Herat and the capital Kabul.

Media magnate Silvio Berlusconi is to return to lead a centre-right government in Italy after his convincing win in Italy’s general elections two weeks ago. He has already named Frattini, currently the European commissioner for justice, freedom and security, as his foreign minister.—AFP