Prodi wants NATO up on two strong pillars

IN your edition of March 27, you published a news agency report which claimed that President Prodi told reporters on Wednesday last that Europeans should abandon NATO. This is not true and the story was later corrected

The view of the president is that NATO should have two strong pillars, one American, the other European. In fact, he wants to strengthen NATO.

As he told the European Parliament on Wednesday, and reporters at a press conference immediately afterwards, he wants the EU to "apply unified policies for the economy, international relations and defence".