ROME, June 3: Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday backtracked on a controversial bill that would make illegal immigration a jailable offence after the United Nations and the Vatican criticised the measure.

Berlusconi’s new conservative government last month unveiled tough measures aimed at fighting crime and illegal immigration but which critics say risk fuelling xenophobia and racism.

One of the most controversial steps, still to be discussed and approved by parliament, states that illegal entry into Italy is a crime punishable by up to four years in jail.

However Berlusconi said on Tuesday that people should not be prosecuted simply for being illegal immigrants, but their status should be considered an aggravating circumstance if they committed a crime.

“Personally, I don’t think you can prosecute someone for their illegal presence in our country,” Berlusconi said during a joint news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“Parliament is sovereign and will decide according to its conscience and common sense,” he said.

The security package also proposes confiscating apartments rented to illegal immigrants, speeding up expulsions and extending the time they can be held in detention centres.

Outgoing United Nations human rights chief Louise Arbour on Monday, describing the measures as an example of repression and intolerance.

The Vatican also came out against them. Archbishop Agostino Marchetti told Vatican radio that illegal immigrants should not be treated as criminals because those who worked were making a contribution to society.

Foreign Minister Franco Frattini shrugged off the criticism earlier on Tuesday, saying illegal immigration was already a criminal offence in France, Germany, Sweden and Britain.

Italy saw a record rise in immigration last year with foreigners now totalling 3.5 million, and many Italians blame immigrants — especially Romanians and Roma people — for crime.

—Reuters