President Bush and Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi held a phone conference on Wednesday and came to terms, concluding that Italy will consider a phased withdrawal on condition that the Iraqi government is stable in its positions. Mr. Berlusconi aims to bring home his nation’s 3,000 troops by September.

"He wanted me to know that there was no change in his policy, that in fact any withdrawals would be done in consultation with allies and would be done depending upon the ability of Iraqis to defend themselves," Mr. Bush reported in Washington.

"I’ve spoken about it with Tony Blair, and it’s the public opinion of our countries that expects this decision," said Mr. Berlusconi on the talk show. "We have to build an exit strategy."

"In a serious country, heads of government cannot lend themselves to ambiguous announcements on issues that touch the life and death of so many human beings," leading analyst Franco Venturini wrote in Thursday’s edition of the newspaper Corriere della Sera.

"From these self-serving calculations, a country’s foreign policy can only come out damaged in its current and future credibility," he added.

"There’s total confusion and Berlusconi is just doing propaganda," center-left leader Piero Fassino told the daily La Repubblica on Thursday. "But all this is unworthy of a civilized country."