By Phil Stewart

ROME, March 20 (Reuters) - The Afghan ambassador to Rome said on Tuesday any eventual peace conference like the one being proposed by Italy should not include active members of the Taliban or anyone who supports armed struggle.

The largest political party in Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi's coalition set off a storm of debate in the past week by saying the Taliban should participate in an international peace conference so that all sides can "look each other in the eyes".

But Afghan Ambassador to Rome, Musa M. Maroofi, said in an interview that Kabul opposes that proposal in principle.

"Would the Taliban be allowed to join a conference with weapons and suicide bombers in their delegation? That would be a very tragic situation," Maroofi said.

"As long as anybody who is involved in a violent campaign against the government continues to do so, they will be disqualified."

Italy's Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema again advanced the idea of an international peace conference in a speech to the United Nations on Tuesday, saying it would need to focus on the "regional dimension of security and stability of Afghanistan".

It would also need to support the national reconciliation process and could serve as a "consensus building measure".

D'Alema, in an interview with Reuters on Monday, declined to say whether he would support a Taliban presence at an international conference. But he said Piero Fassino, head of the Democrats of the Left party, was right to raise the issue.

"I want to remind you that President (Hamid) Karzai has on various occasions invited (the Taliban) to hold talks to pacify the country, but the invitation has not been accepted," he said.

"It's the Taliban who do not want dialogue".

Maroofi, who had not seen a copy of D'Alema's U.N. speech, declined to comment on Italy's proposal of a conference but said: "We thank the government of Italy for seeking ways and methods of helping us to achieve peace in Afghanistan."

But he reiterated that the political system is already open to Taliban who renounce violence and adhere to the constitution.

"This is just one conference, but what we said ... anyone who wants to join the political life of Afghanistan is welcome, provided they believe in peace," Maroofi said. (Additional reporting by Roberto Landucci in Rome)

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