ROME - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi joined opposition leaders on Tuesday to urge a united front following the Baghdad abduction of two female aid workers.
However, anxiety over their fate spurred renewed protests, and bolstered critics of the European country's role in Iraq.
Witnesses told Reuters about20 men armed with AK-47 assault rifles and pistols with silencers hauled away Italian women Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, along with two Iraqis, during a bold daylight raid in central Baghdad.
On hearing the news, Berlusconi returned early to Rome for a crisis meeting with his defence, interior and foreign ministers.
"The government, convinced that terrorism must be confronted with the unity of the country, has proposed a meeting tomorrow with representatives of the opposition," he said in a statement.
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini contacted representatives of Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in Bagdad who strongly condemned the kidnapping and requested the immediate release of the two women, the statement added.
Berlusconi's call for unity were echoed by foes, who criticise the prime minister for keeping 2700 troops in Iraq, despite polls showing most Italians would rather bring them home. Italy has the third largest military contingent in Iraq, after the United States and Britain.
"Everything has to be done, and every initiative must be put into play to save these two young women," said Piero Fassino, leader of the main opposition party, the Democrats of the Left.
Italy has been shaken in recent months by hostage dramas in Iraq, with Islamist guerrillas kidnapping and executing Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni in August, and security guard Fabrizio Quattrocchi in April.
The fear that the two young women -- the first female Italian hostages since the US-led invasion -- might share that fate has touched a raw nerve in this Roman Catholic country.
Television stations ran special bulletins, and peace groups called for candle-light vigils. More than a hundred protesters gathered outside Berlusconi's Rome offices.
"Italy can no longer take part in this war and hope not to be violently swept up in it," Flavio Lotti of national pacifist group, Table for Peace said.
Italy has been a frequent target of internet threats by Islamic militants claiming links to Al Qaeda, with some warning of attacks with rigged cars, and others promising to "bloody" Rome and kill Berlusconi".
