Italy will soon have a new foreign minister and deputy premier if Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister, fulfils the predictions of Italian political commentators and reshuffles his cabinet in coming days.
Making a virtue of necessity, Mr Berlusconi is expected to seize the opportunity presented by Rocco Buttiglione's withdrawal as Italy's nominee for the European Commission and introduce changes to his centre-right government that will last until Italy's next national elections, due by May 2006.
