Italy vows to expand US base

Rome: The Italian government will appeal against a court ruling suspending expansion of a US military base in the northern city of Vicenza, the defence minister said, promising to press on with the plans.

A regional court in the northern Veneto region on Friday ruled in favour of a lawsuit by consumers and residents who want construction work at the base stopped because they fear it will make their city a target of terrorist attacks.

Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in comments published on Saturday that the government had asked its lawyers to appeal against the ruling.

"In Italy, a suspension order does not deny anyone anything," La Russa was quoted as saying by the daily. "We will respect the obligations that we have taken."

The base's expansion has been opposed by pacifists and locals in the small city of 115,000. The Pentagon wants a larger base so that it can house the entire brigade instead of dividing it between Italy and Germany. Military personnel will be expanded to 4,500 from 2,750.