Chirac congratulates Prodi on election win

[bemildred]

French President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday congratulated Italy's center-left opposition leader Romano Prodi on his victory in the parliamentary elections.

Chirac was the first leader of a major European power to send "warm and friendly congratulations" to Prodi and invite him to visit Paris as soon as possible, Chirac's office said in a statement.

The president was convinced that "Italy and France would further strengthen their relationship and cooperation in the service of Europe," the statement said.

Prodi, the former chief of the European Commission, won the elections in both houses of parliament by a razor-thin margin over the center-right coalition led by incumbent Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Peoples daily

[marmar]

1. And Prodi has made it clear....

that Italy's most important relationships are those within the EU, not with the U.S. And can you blame him? Strong ties to America are nothing but a political liability these days.

[electropop]

2. That's good, because he won't be getting any warm handshakes from Bush.

Prodi defeated the Fascist in Italy, so Bush has lost an ally. Bush has probably already started plotting to undermine or assassinate Prodi.

[Cha]

3. I hope Prodi and his

supporters realize this like Chavez does.

[Erika]

4. W has been contacted by Italians who want liberation

They promise flowers to our liberating troops.