New Italian foreign minister, U.S. ambassador met in Rome

Photo: New Italian foreign minister, U.S. ambassador met in Rome

New Italian foreign minister, U.S. ambassador met in Rome

A brief statement from the Foreign Ministry said D'Alema held talks with U.S. Ambassador Ronald Spogli in the morning. It did not release details.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Benedict Duffy said "they reviewed a range of current issues," without elaborating.

He said the meeting was the ambassador's initial call on the foreign minister, and that Spogli would then meet other members of the new Cabinet.

D'Alema, an ex-Communist and former premier, was named foreign minister in the new center-left government headed by Premier Romano Prodi, which took office Wednesday.

During his stint as premier between 1998 and 2000, D'Alema supported the NATO-led airstrike against Yugoslavia and allowed the use of air bases on Italian soil. He was against war in Iraq, the AP reports.