Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony marking the 151st anniversary of the creation of Italy's police force, the Italian center-right premier said: "There has been a generic request from Britain and the US about the possibility of us contributing to a peacekeeping operation and we said yes."

He underscored that "the requests from both Britain and the US are not as yet specific," adding that "there are no precise dates ... and I don't think it will be in the immediate future."

"At the moment, it is up to the forces that are already there to guarantee the peacekeeping," he said.

Berlusconi said the idea of transferring to Iraq the Italian troops who are currently serving in Kosovo or Afghanistan had not been raised.

"I have received no request, either official or otherwise," he said.

The White House later announced that US President George W. Bush had called Berlusconi to discuss the progress being made in Iraq by American and British troops.

The Italian government took a firm pro-US line on Iraq despite opposition from the center left and strong anti-war sentiment among the Italian public.

Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Friday that Europe should play a leading role in helping to establish democracy in post-war Iraq.

Interviewed on state broadcaster RAI radio, Frattini said the issue would be discussed during a meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.

Europe will have "a significant role in moves to restore democracy and peace in Iraq," he said, adding that the current priority was organizing relief for the war-stricken population.

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2003)