Rome - The threat of yet another Italian government crisis eased yesterday with an assurance from centrist leader, Mr Francesco Cossiga, that his party would back the Prime Minister, Mr Massimo D'Alema, even if it pulled out of government.
Mr Cossiga, who was president of the centrist UDR party until he announced his resignation on Tuesday, told La Repubblica his party still intended to vote with the centre-left governing coalition in the lower house. Any changes to the line-up of a cabinet which is just three months old would jar with the government's desired image of a stable Italy.