Italian troops 'to stay in Iraq'

Baldoni has not been heard of since last week when he was in Najaf

Italy says it has no intention of withdrawing its 3,000 troops from Iraq in the face of demands from kidnappers who have seized an Italian journalist.

The government says it is committed to securing the release of the journalist, Enzo Baldoni, but the Italian presence in Iraq would continue.

Earlier, the Arabic television channel, al-Jazeera, broadcast a video appearing to show Mr Baldoni.

His kidnappers demanded that Italy pull its forces out of Iraq within 48 hours.

'Maintain commitments'

"We are committed to obtaining the freedom of Mr Baldoni," Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's office said in a statement.

"We will do so while maintaining the commitments made to the Iraqi provisional government," the government said.

A group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq says it is holding the journalist.

MISSING JOURNALISTS Enzo Baldoni (Italian, Diario magazine) - driver found dead near Najaf George Malbrunot (French, Le Figaro) Christian Chesnot (French, Radio France Internationale) All three missing since 19 August Black year for journalists

In a statement to the Qatar-based television station, the group said that it "could not guarantee the Italian's safety... if Italy does not respond within 48 hours with a decision to withdraw its troops from Iraqi territories", Reuters news agency reported.

In the video, broadcast on Tuesday, a man identifying himself as Enzo Baldoni says he is a journalist and Red Cross volunteer who came to Iraq to write about the resistance.

Mr Baldoni has been missing since Thursday.

His driver-interpreter was apparently found dead on Saturday and Italian newspapers have said the two were probably caught in an ambush between Baghdad and Najaf.

The whereabouts of another two French journalists remains a mystery.

Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot have not been heard of since Friday.

US journalist Micah Garen was freed on Sunday by an Iraqi group who had held him hostage in the southern city of Nasiriya.