Under the rules of the agreement, any country can withdraw with six months' notice.

In some cases those countries are withdrawing forces or refusing to take part in new operations.

It is not clear how Italy, or any other country in the euro, could withdraw if it wished to do so.

Several countries withdrew their ambassadors to Denmark, and widespread protests, some of them violent, began.

The party's manifesto also suggests that the country should withdraw from international conventions on asylum and immigration.

Several countries returned to the contest, too but no country, which participated in the 1995 edition, withdrew.

Chances rose that the country would withdraw from the European monetary system, which is in turmoil.

The captors demanded that all three countries withdraw their citizens from Iraq.

It also became apparent that no other countries would withdraw from the tournament.

A further 21 countries joined between 1920 and 1937, but 7 left, withdrew or were expelled before 1946.