Italy's government loses vote, faces calls to quit

ROME, Feb 21 (Reuters) Italy's government lost a crucial parliamentary vote today over its foreign policy in a blow to Prime Minister Romano Prodi that prompted the opposition to call for him to quit.

There was no constitutional requirement for Prodi to step down, but Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema had said before the vote that the centre-left government should resign if it did not command majority support on foreign policy.

The motion in the Senate received 158 votes in favour -- below the necessary majority of 160 votes -- and was followed by a chorus of opposition calls for the government to ''quit, quit, quit''.

Renato Schifani, Senate leader of the biggest opposition party Forza Italia, held up a copy of today's La Stampa newspaper which had quoted D'Alema's warning to coalition pacifists who oppose Italy's military presence in Afghanistan.

Italy has 1,900 troops there on a NATO-led mission.

''I have in my hand one of the most important newspapers in the country with a declaration by Foreign Minister D'Alema: 'Resignation if we have no majority,''' Schifani said to cheers from allies.

''There is no majority any more ... There is no Prodi government any more. The Prodi government has fallen in this chamber.'' Italy's fragile ruling coalition, which ranges from Catholics to communists, has only a one-seat majority in the Senate but in the past had managed to win majority support despite divisions by calling confidence votes.

Some left-wing members of Prodi's government oppose Italy's presence in Afghanistan and the planned enlargement of a US military base in Italy.

Reuters AB RN2123