ROME, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The center-left candidate for Italy'srole of prime minister, Romano Prodi, said on Monday he would bring Italian soldiers in Iraq back home as soon as possible if his coalition won the general elections on April 9-10.

    Speaking during the second of two televised debates with incumbent Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi ahead of the election, Prodi said, "When we become the government, we'll opt for a speedy pullout of our troops in secure conditions, talking with the Iraqi authorities so as not to create situations of risk or danger."

    It would be done "as soon as possible," said Prodi, a former premier and former European Commission president.

    Berlusconi, in spite of strong domestic objections, sent about 3,000 troops to Iraq after the ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The center-right premier, a staunch U.S. ally in Iraq, has said all Italy's troops would be brought home by the end of this year.

    One of the key themes of the 90-minute debate was taxation. Prodi has announced plans to reintroduce an inheritance tax which had been abolished by the conservatives, insisting the tax would only affect the wealthiest.

    Berlusconi accused Prodi's coalition of intending to redistribute wealth by "taking away from the middle-class to give to what they call the working class."

    Berlusconi, in office since 2001, also repeated his doubt over Prodi's ability to keep his coalition together, which ranges from Roman Catholic centrists to communists.

    The first debate on March 14 drew 16 million viewers, a record for a political discussion. Many analysts said Prodi won on points, although Berlusconi and most of his allies denied that, according to Italian media. Enditem