Italy says won't send more troops to Afghanistan

ROME, Mar 8 (Reuters) Italy's centre-left government today won the first of two parliamentary votes to keep troops in Afghanistan, but shunned a request by Britain for allies to send more soldiers.

The lower house, as expected, approved new funds for the military mission with a large majority -- 524 lawmakers voted in favour and only 3 against -- thanks also to the backing of the centre-right opposition.

The tougher test will be in the Senate (upper house) later this month, where Prodi has a very narrow majority and faces opposition to the mission from leftist members in his coalition.

Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said Italy would not increase troop levels beyond the current 1,900 soldiers despite a request by British Prime Minister Tony Blair this week for NATO partners to provide more soldiers.

''We are not planning new provisions,'' D'Alema told reporters in Brussels today, reiterating Italy's position.

The NATO force now stands at 35,000 soldiers, with nearly 23,000 of those either American or British.

Italian troops are deployed in the relatively quieter regions of Kabul and Herat and have not taken part in a major offensive launched by NATO in the south this week.

Even so, their mission is a constant source of friction within Prodi's bloc. It was one of the issues that forced Prodi to resign briefly last month when some of his leftist allies voted against him.

The debate over Afghanistan went on for three days in the lower house, with some communist lawmakers in the centre-left coalition calling for a pullout and accusing Prodi of being servile to the United States.

The vote also came against the backdrop of concerns over the kidnapping of an Italian journalist in Afghanistan this week.

''This vote confirms that there is a very large consensus over a delicate and tough foreign policy decision,'' said Piero Fassino, leader of the Democrats of the Left -- the biggest force in Prodi's nine-party bloc.

Prodi, who accelerated the withdrawal of Italian troops from Iraq after taking office last year, has made Afghanistan one of 12 policy priorities which he arm-twisted his allies into signing to end the crisis triggered by his resignation.

But at least one dissident senator said he would not back the force, meaning Prodi will likely have to rely on opposition support when the vote is held in the Senate on March 27.

The centre right backs the deployment, but says that if Prodi cannot count on his own majority, he must resign.

''If they have a bit of political dignity left they will have to take stock of the fact that they do not have a majority on an issue that concerns Italy's international role,'' said a spokesman for centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi.

REUTERS SP KN2342