The Italian flag was scheduled to be lowered on Friday at the American military base near Nassiriya in Iraq, signaling the definitive withdrawal of the nation's peacekeeping contingent from Iraq.

The red, white and green flag was due to return to Italy on Saturday, along with Gen. Carmine De Pascale, commander of the last 60 Italian soldiers to serve in the Iraq mission, according to reports on Thursday.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi was expected to be at Rome's Ciampino airport, along with other top government officials, on Saturday for a ceremony marking the troops' return.

At its height, the Italian contingent numbered 3,200, most of whom were based in the southern Iraqi town of Nassiriya.

Italy, which did not take part in the United-States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, sent a contingent afterwards to help reconstruction, perform peacekeeping duties and contribute to the training of Iraqi security forces.

During the run-up to spring elections, Prodi promised the withdrawal of Italian forces from Iraq, arguing that they should not have been sent in the first place.

The previous government of Silvio Berlusconi, which sent the troops, had also planned to withdraw soldiers by the end of the year.

Prodi said earlier this week he had informed U.S. President George W. Bush about the return of Italian troops. "He said he was sorry but that he knew we were leaving because I said so in the election campaign."

Source: Xinhua