US Marines to Leave Sardinia in '08

The US Marine Corps has confirmed that a complete withdrawl from its La Maddalena base would take place by 2008. The eventual dismantling of the base was announced in November 2005, but no date was given.

La Maddalena, an archipelago off of the northeastern coast of Sardinia, has had a substantial US military presence since 1972, when the US and Italian governments signed a secret bilateral accord.

In Italy, the US Marine Corps' Sardinian base is a touchy subject because of the presence of US nuclear armaments, one that the US Congress has confirmed, but the Italian government continues to deny.

Italy does not have any known nuclear armaments.