Silvio Berlusconi was tonight forced into a partial climbdown after his surprise announcement on live television last night that Italy would begin withdrawing its forces from Iraq in September.

The off the cuff remark took Downing Street by surprise. This morning it emerged that Britain, which controls the 3,200 Italian troops and paramilitary police in the southern city of al-Nasiriyah, had not been informed of the Italian Prime Minister's "exit strategy".

Neither had President Ciampi or Gianfranco Fini, the Italian Foreign Minister, who are both visiting the UK this week, or the state Parliament.

Tony Blair issued an urgent statement saying that the Italian premier had been "misinterpreted". He told Parliament today: "Their [the Italian] position is exactly the same as ours, which is that there should be a build up of Iraqi forces so that security is increasingly taken over by them.

"Neither the Italian government nor ourselves have set some deadline to withdraw."

After a conversation with the US President, George Bush, Signor Berlusconi appeared to be forced to backtrack, issuing a statement that tonight that Italy will not begin withdrawing its troops from Iraq in September without the consent of its US and British allies.

"If it’s not possible, it’s not possible. Everything has to be agreed with the allies. We will do everything in a concerted manner," he told journalists who pressed him on whether Italy would go ahead with a withdrawal without the consent of Washington and London.

Signor Berlusconi's unscripted comments were made before an audience of millions on Porta A Porta, a popular current affairs programme broadcast by RIA Uno, the country's equivalent to BBC1.

He said: "We will begin to reduce our contingent in Iraq before the end of the year, in agreement with our allies. The first reduction will start in September."

He said that he had discussed the withdrawal with Mr Blair, adding: "We need to construct a precise exit strategy. It is public opinion in our countries which expects this decision."

The announcement made headlines across Italy today, where opposition to Signor Berlusconi's support for President Bush's Iraq policy has escalated in the wake of the shooting by US troops of Nicola Calipari, Italy's top intelligence officer, as he escorted a freed Italian hostage to safety. Pressure is mounting with key regional elections next month.

Commentators were struggling to envisage how the statement, seen as further evidence that the alliance of 30 nations serving alongside US forces in Iraq is unravelling, could have been misunderstood.

But Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman insisted: "What's become clear is that Prime Minister Berlusconi's remarks have been misinterpreted.

"What he actually said is it would depend on the ability of the Iraqi Government to provide adequate security structures. That's precisely the same position as we have."

Richard Owen, The Times' correspondent in Rome, said: "There's a lot of criticism here that the statement was made on live TV and not in front of Parliament but there is no doubt about what he said.

"Every newspaper is leading on the story, even Il Giornale which is run by his brother and widely seen as a mouthpiece for the Government.

"The left is claiming that Berlusconi's remarks were aimed at a domestic audience because Italy is on the eve of important regional elections. I think there may be some truth in that. It's all very Italian."

He added: "I think it would be difficult for Berlusconi to argue that he was misinterpreted since he spelt this out in clear terms to millions of people on a popular TV show.

"The only escape clause he left himself was a remark that withdrawal depends on the Iraqi Government being able to put in place acceptable military operations. That is a big 'if', but there's no question that he said on the record that withdrawal would start in September and that he had agreed this with Tony Blair.

"This wasn't an off-the-cuff remark. The Prime Minister's appearance on Porta A Porta is always a major event and one for which he prepares thoroughly. He does have a tendency to extemporise and it may be that he had prepared some remarks but went further than intended.

"I don't see how even Berlusconi, the Houdini of world politics, will get out of this one. However, I have no doubt that he will."

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell had earlier said that it seemed clear that Italy had drawn up its own "exit strategy" from Iraq and that Britain should follow suit.

"It is time the UK showed a similar resolve. Britain's objective should be to achieve the withdrawal of British forces by the expiry date of the UN mandate which ends in December 2005," he said.

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