Confrontation of this nature could undermine the rule of law in Italy

Param Cumaraswamy UN special rapporteur

Hundreds of Italian magistrates took strike action nationwide last month in protest at the government's actions, which include controversial plans to remove police escorts.

Mr Berlusconi denies charges of bribery, tax evasion and false accounting and says he is the victim of leftist prosecutors opposed to his government.

In his appeal to Mr Berlusconi's government, Mr Cumaraswamy quoted UN basic principles which stress that all state authorities have a duty to "respect and observe the independence of the judiciary".

Mr Berlusconi accuses judges of political bias

Governments also had a duty to avoid "any inappropriate or unwarranted interference with the judicial process".

The UN rapporteur asked to make an urgent visit to Italy "in order to study the causes of, and assist in finding a solution to, the present confrontation".

The issue, he said, threatened to "undermine the rule of law in Italy".

Court action

Mr Cumaraswamy said Italian magistrates were also concerned at planned reforms of the judiciary, seeing them as a move to bring prosecutors under the control of the executive.

In a country where members of the judiciary have been assassinated in recent years, the magistrates were also protesting against the removal of police escorts from prosecutors and judges.

As evidence of his concerns, the UN's special rapporteur drew attention to reports that the Italian Government was considering legal action against Judge Francesco Saverio Borelli, Milan's most senior judge, after he made an allegation of political interference in current trials.

Mr Borrelli, who led the "clean hands" corruption investigations in the 1990s, accused the government of demonising the judiciary and pushing through dangerous reforms.

Interior Minister Claudio Scajola responded by saying he would sue over the remarks.