ISTANBUL

Italy called on the US to swiftly address salary delays for local staff at American military bases in the country, as the ongoing federal government shutdown continues to disrupt payments.

About 2,000 non-military Italian employees, mainly at Aviano Air Base and the Vicenza army base in northeast Italy, missed their October pay despite being employed under Italian work contracts, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani urged both Washington and the US embassy in Rome to help resolve the matter swiftly.

"The foreign ministry has made a request to the US embassy in Rome, which confirmed that the US Army and US Air Force are examining with the Pentagon the possibility of using their own funds to pay the Italian employees," the ministry added.

The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, has halted pay for federal employees, including air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, who remain on duty without pay.

The shutdown became the longest in US history, hitting 40 days, with no resolution in sight as Republicans and Democrats in the Senate remain deadlocked on restoring funding to closed federal agencies.