Armstrong famously tarnished the Italian rider a "liar" in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde in 2003 after Simeoni had given evidence in 2002 to magistrates investigating disgraced Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari.

Last year Ferrari, who is alleged to have helped dozens of top athletes to safely administer illegal substances, was found guilty of sporting fraud and illegally acting as a pharmacist.

Ferrari has appealed the verdict.

Armstrong in 2001 admitted he had been collaborating with Ferrari, who at the peak of his career in cycling told one journalist that using the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) was no more dangerous than orange juice.

On Wednesday the court judge Nicola Insiti rejected a claim by Armstrong's defence and ordered a hearing to be held on March 7, 2006.-Nampa-Reuters

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