Other Italian news...Italian coalition member quits, blasting U.S. by Robert H. Reid 1:22pm Tue Nov 18 '03 An Italian member of the U.S.-led coalition has resigned, accusing the Bush administration of inefficiency and failing to understand Iraq. Before quitting, Marco Calamai, a special counselor of the Coalition Provisional Authority in the southern province of Dhi Qar, criticized L. Paul Bremer's administration for its handling of Iraq. print article Calamai told Italian reporters in Nasiriyah on Sunday that the failure of the coalition to understand Iraqi society had created "delusion, social discontent and anger" among Iraqis and allowed terrorism to "easily take root." He cited last week's truck bombing at an Italian paramilitary garrison in the city, which killed 19 Italians and 14 others. Calamai said about $400,000 a month was supposed to be made available for projects in Dhi Qar province alone, but "because of the muddled organization of (the coalition), only a fraction has been spent." "The provisional authority simply doesn't work," said Calamai. He said only a U.N. administration could turn the tide. In Rome, the Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed yesterday that Calamai had resigned but gave no reason. The government of Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was a strong supporter of the United States during the war and deployed a 2,700-strong peacekeeping force to help rebuild the country. But in an interview with the leftist daily L'Unita, Calamai complained that the British and Americans had marginalized the Italians. "They don't consult us, they don't involve us." There was no immediate comment from Bremer's staff. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, asked about Calamai's resignation, said the coalition authority has made "excellent progress" in several areas, including "the physical reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration of services to Iraqi people, the beginnings of political authority among the Iraqi ministers and now an accelerated path to political authority." Calamai's criticism is similar to that leveled last week by Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Cordesman, who went to Iraq at the invitation of the U.S. government, said coalition authority staffers believe their headquarters is an overcentralized bureaucracy that is unrealistic about developments in Iraq. He said too many coalition authority workers are talking to Americans rather than working with Iraqis. Such criticism raises questions about the coalition's ability to oversee the transfer of power to Iraqis by the scheduled date of July 1. Although Bremer says primary responsibility rests with the Iraqis, several Iraqi politicians have said privately that the effort cannot succeed without strong U.S. direction. seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationwor... add your comments