ROME, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi's cabinet will discuss refinancing the country's controversial mission in Afghanistan on Thursday, a political source said, amid a growing political storm over the issue.

The Afghan mission was not on the cabinet meeting's official agenda but will be discussed anyway, the source said.

Earlier this week, a Green Party minister in Prodi's fragile coalition threatened a revolt over the mission, demanding a timetable for the withdrawal of Italian troops.

Parliament has to approve funding for missions abroad every six months, and Prodi would have to rely on the opposition led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for votes without Green Party support.

Italy pulled out of Iraq last year but Prodi has pledged to keep its 1,900 troops in Afghanistan, arguing that it is a peace mission. A recent newspaper poll showed 56 percent of Italians are now in favour of withdrawing from Afghanistan.

AlertNet news is provided by

Delicio.us  |   Digg  |   NewsVine  |   Reddit                                                                                  Permalink