The Northern League party, Berlusconi's main coalition partner, has pressed for early elections and a clarification on the way ahead since a group of lawmakers staged a rebellion last month.

The defections deprived the coalition of its once comfortable majority.

"We will continue as we are... to achieve the (government's) planned programme," said Umberto Bossi, head of the Northern League, adding "there will be no elections for the moment."

The meeting between Bossi and Berlusconi and members of his government at Lesa on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy was seen as an opportunity to clarify urgent issues facing the coalition.

After Bossi's departure, leading members of the anti-immigration party held further talks with Berlusconi.

Before the meeting, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said he was not hopeful of reaching an agreement with the rebels who include parliamentary speaker Gianfranco Fini.

Maroni, a key League official, said he was not sure it would be possible to regain the coalition's majority, adding that he even believed that there was a plan to "get rid of Berlusconi".

He added: "The League has already expressed its point of view: if there is no guaranteed majority in parliament, we must have elections straight away."

Italy has been gripped by political uncertainty since the end of July, when Fini precipitated the crisis by leaving the People of Liberty (PDL) party, which he co-founded with Berlusconi in 2008, ending a 17-year alliance with the billionaire premier.

After the defections Berlusconi called a confidence vote for next month on his five-point programme for the three remaining years of his term to test his government's parliamentary majority.

The failure of the parliamentary confidence vote would bring down Berlusconi's government, and if a transitional government cannot be cobbled together, President Giorgio Napolitano is seen likely to call early elections.