Berlusconi to testify at CIA kidnapping trial

ROME, Italy (CNN) - An Italian judge ruled Wednesday that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may be called as a witness at the trial of 26 Americans, mostly CIA agents, in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a Muslim cleric, a Milan court official said.

Judge Oscar Magi ruled Berlusconi's testimony is admissible at the trial, essentially giving prosecutors the right to call the premier to the witness stand, said the court official, who was not authorized to speak with the media.

Berlusconi will testify as someone informed about the facts in question because he was prime minister at the time of the alleged abduction more than five years ago. Magi also ruled that former Prime Minister Romano Prodi may also be called to the witness stand.