Rome, 24/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - The head of the Italian Government, Silvio Berlusconi, moved a little closer to the American positions regarding defence on Monday, not hesitating to openly criticise the position of some of his partners of the European Union on the missile shield project. "Italy will be alongside the United States, even overtaking the positions of some European partners that have not understood how the world has changed and that we must prepare for the future", he told a joint press conference with President George Bush, who immediately welcomed this stance, declaring: "My friend has been very quick in grasping the importance of altering security arrangements in the world". Faithfully taking on board the American analyses, Mr. Berlusconi added: "We know it will take time before countries that today do not seem to us to be totally reliable can build ballistic weapons with the necessary range to hit distant targets, like the United States for example, but the situation certainly is worrying". A concern that is not really shared in France, where Defence Minister Alain Richard stressed not long ago that the missile shield system posed a problem for him. Germany and other EU countries are also sceptical, whereas the United Kingdom has adopted a conciliatory stance but remains very discreet.