Indispensable ally tests patience of US and EU

Silvio Berlusconi has been badly damaged by the spate of stories over his alleged links with models and starlets. But for western governments, the critical question is not what the Italian prime minister does in his private life but whether he can help solve the pressing problems facing the US and European Union. For Barack Obama's administration in the US, Mr Berlusconi is a leader with whom business has to be done. Italy, unlike some states in the Nato alliance, firmly supports the mission in Afghanistan and has no intention of withdrawing its 2,350 troops. Mr Berlusconi was also one of the first EU leaders to say his country would take inmates from the Guantánamo Bay detention centre. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/bf39fc94-6120-11de-aa12-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Fbf39fc94-6120-11de-aa12-00144feabdc0.html&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ft.com%2Fsearch%3FsortBy%3Dgadatearticle%26queryText%3DBERLUSCONI%26y%3D17%26x%3D35