Italy's government coalition on Friday agreed on the funding of its military missions overseas including the controversial troop presence in Afghanistan which is heavily disputed by its radical left.
"The decree on the financing of Italian military missions abroad was unanimously approved by the cabinet," said Infrastructure Minister Antonio Di Pietro.
The decree has no effect on Italy's troop presence in Iraq, which is to end in October following a decision by the center-left government of Prime Minister Roman Prodi.
"The government has earmarked 488 million euros (623 million dollars) for 29 Italian military and co-operation missions in 18 countries," said Defence Minister Arturo Parisi at the close of the cabinet session.
Defence Minister Parisi had announced Wednesday that Italy would cut its troop presence in Afghanistan but insisted the decision was not political.
Under a deal hammered out with Prodi's communist coalition allies on Tuesday, 400 troops would be pulled out and those that remained would be barred from participating in Nato operations against the Taleban militia. Parisi said Friday the government had decided to set aside 17.5 million euros for relief aid to Afghanistan and the troubled Sudan region of Darfur.