Fresh insults sour German-Italian ties

Schroeder says holiday may be cancelled

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has issued a fresh statement of regret over his "Nazi" attack on a German politician - but a new row has erupted.

Stefano Stefani, a junior industry minister from the far-right Northern League, on Tuesday called German tourists "hyper-nationalist blondes", who were "stuck up, noisy and outrageous".

Mr Berlusconi told the president of the European Parliament that he regretted his own comments last week, when he told a heckling German MEP that he would be perfectly cast as a Nazi concentration camp guard.

We know the Germans well, these stereotyped blondes with a hyper-nationalist pride

Stefano Stefani
Junior industry minister

The Italian leader had already issued a statement of regret to German leader Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, although he appears to have stopped short on both occasions of making an outright apology.

But as the Nazi row appeared to draw to a close, Mr Schroeder threatened to cancel an Italian holiday after the separate attack on German tourists.

(Germans) know well they are welcome in our country, as we know we are welcome guests in Germany

Franco Frattini
Italian Foreign Minister

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini was among senior ministers who rushed to soothe the row, by stressing the two countries' traditional friendship.

"(Germans) know well they are welcome in our country, as we know we are welcome guests in Germany," Mr Frattini was quoted as saying.

Mr Schroeder did not immediately make clear whether the comments were sufficient to save his Italian holiday.

But his spokesman, Bela Anda, expressed satisfaction that Mr Frattini and other Italian ministers had distanced themselves from the "unacceptable collective insult".

"In the interest of friendly relations between Italy and Germany, the government assumes that the statements of the two ministers are the opinion of the Italian government and will stand without revision," he said.

Mr Stefani's comments came in the Northern League newspaper La Padania.

Berlusconi sparked first row with "Nazi" jibe

Germany, he said, was a country "intoxicated with arrogant certainties".

"We know the Germans well, these stereotyped blondes with a hyper-nationalist pride who have always been indoctrinated to be first in the class at any cost," he wrote.

Mr Stefani, in an interview in the same paper on Tuesday, said he had been referring only to those Germans "who express opinions on Italy or on Italian political authorities that are exclusively based on vile stereotypes".

"I had simply underlined some characteristics that are well-known to everybody," he said.

"And I am sorry that certain phrases have probably been read or translated in an incorrect way to the chancellor."

Mr Berlusconi's own statement of regret on Tuesday came when the European parliament president, Pat Cox, telephoned him.

'Sensitivities hurt'

Mr Cox had previously insisted that the comments to Mr Schroeder were not sufficient to close the matter, as it was in parliament that the offending statement had been made.

This is turning into the Tommy Cooper presidency

Gary Titley
Leader of UK Labour MEPs

According to Mr Cox's office, Mr Berlusconi "expressed his regret for having used in the course of an animated debate on the programme of the Italian presidency on 2 July in Strasbourg, certain expressions and comparisons which hurt the sensitivities of members of the European parliament."

The row has raised questions over whether Italy's six-month presidency of the European Union, which began last week, will be blighted by Mr Berlusconi's comments.

The leader of Britain's MEPs, Gary Titley, said the Italian presidency was becoming a farce.

"This is turning into the Tommy Cooper presidency," he said.

"It's a complete shambles. It's ineptitude gone mad. Berlusconi's attempt to patch up the first insult this afternoon was hardly impressive, but we were prepared to let it go and get on with running EU business. And now this has happened."

Mr Berlusconi is facing separate controversy at home, over a newly-passed immunity law which protects him from prosecution, and over proposed laws which would allow him to further extend his media empire into newspapers and radio.