Italian premier on surprise visit to Nasiriyah скачать в хорошем качестве

Italian premier on surprise visit to Nasiriyah

(10 Apr 2004) 1. Plane carrying Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on tarmac 2. Italian soldiers standing guard 3. Various of Berlusconi walking past saluting soldiers 4. Berlusconi walking to podium 5. Italian soldiers 6. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "Thank you, thank you for giving me the possibility of visiting you here. The aim of my visit is to communicate you directly the appreciation of the Italian government and the country for what you represent here in view of the recent events in which so many of you were involved. You are at great risk and this is regarded in Italy as a proof of your ability to handle very difficult situations." 7. Pan of Italian soldiers 8. Berlusconi standing on chair surrounded by cheering and applauding soldiers STORYLINE: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Saturday, making his first trip to meet with Italian troops based in the southern city of Nasiriyah. The premier flew in early on Saturday, greeted surprised Italian troops, joined them for lunch, then left the country a few hours later. Some 2-thousand 900 Italian armed forces are based in Nasiriyah. They are working on reconstruction projects in the southern Iraqi city, but as violence has engulfed the country, they have been involved in combat. On Tuesday, Italian troops in Nasiriyah clashed with militiamen, leaving 15 Iraqis dead and 12 Italians wounded, but has largely calmed since. An Italian soldier filmed Berlusconi''s surprise visit and the footage in this package are his pictures. Berlusconi - wearing casual clothes and a baseball cap - chatted with soldiers. The Italian soldiers hadn''t known about his visit on the eve of Easter Sunday. The trip was kept secret for security reasons. Berlusconi, a conservative ally of U.S. President George W. Bush, supported the US-led war and agreed to send troops after the conflict. On November 12, a suicide truck bomb attack on Italian forces in Nasiriyah killed 19 Italians - the nation''s single worst military loss since World War II. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...