Attacked Berlusconi says 'love will overcome hate'

Mr Berlusconi has been told to rest for two weeks

The Italian prime minister has told his supporters that love always triumphs over hate, in his first message since an attack that left him in hospital.

The brief message from Silvio Berlusconi was posted on the website of his People of Freedom party.

Mr Berlusconi, struck in the face by a replica model of Milan's cathedral after a rally in the city on Sunday, is to leave hospital on Wednesday.

The object, flung from from close range, broke his nose and two teeth.

Rest recommendation

"Sincere thanks to the very many who have sent me messages of solidarity and affection," Mr Berlusconi's message reads.

"I say again that everyone should stay calm and secure. Love always triumphs over envy and hate."

The alabaster model, similar to this one, was flung from close range

Mr Berlusconi's personal physician, Dr Alberto Zangrillo, says he has told the prime minister to forgo public duties for at least two weeks to fully recover from the attack, during which the PM is reported to have lost almost half a litre (one pint) of blood.

But his spokesman, Paulo Bonaiuti, said enforcing this recommendation would be "a problem, because it is very difficult to keep him away from his work".

The 73-year-old billionaire leader has already cancelled plans to attend the UN climate summit in Copenhagen as well as a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan scheduled for Wednesday.

The suspect, 42-year-old Massimo Tartaglia, is reported to have sent a letter via his lawyers to the prime minister, apologising for what he said was "a superficial, cowardly and inconsiderate act".

There were so many bodyguards around Silvio Berlusconi that you could look at it as a fluke that he was hit full in the face Francesco Rutelli, Italian MP Italian media reaction In pictures: Attack on Berlusconi Berlusconi bloodied but unbowed Battle in cyberspace

He is reported to have been undergoing treatment for mental health issues for several years.

The attack has sparked an outpouring of sympathy for the Italian leader, who has in recent months been buffeted by political divisions, sex scandal allegations, court cases and an expensive divorce.

World heads, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy as well as the British, Spanish and German leaders, and the Pope, have all sent messages of sympathy.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is reported to have phoned Mr Berlusconi on Tuesday, to tell him he had "behaved in a manly way in an extreme situation", according to a spokesman cited by Agence France-Presse.

Hostile climate

On Tuesday, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the suspect had planned the attack, fuelled by a rage towards the prime minister which had been brewing for some time.

The attack led to criticism of the security surrounding Mr Berlusconi, but Mr Maroni said police checked every area visited by the prime minister well in advance.

Italian opposition lawmaker Francesco Rutelli, whose panel oversees Italy's secret services, defended their work.

Model makers in Naples have been quick to capitalise on the incident

"There were so many bodyguards around Silvio Berlusconi that you could look at it as a fluke that he was hit full in the face by the object that was thrown," he said, according to AFP.

He suggested that in the future perhaps Mr Berlusconi should be prevented from having contact with the crowd in high-risk situations.

Mr Berlusconi was signing autographs when the object - described by Mr Maroni as an alabaster model - struck him full in the face.

Amid chaotic scenes he was bundled into a car, his face bloodied, and driven to hospital.

The attack on Italy's often controversial prime minister has caused deep shock in Italy.

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg, in Milan, says politicians on the left and right are accusing each other of creating an atmosphere of hate in which the attack was made possible.

Since the incident, pages on social networking sites praising the attacker have been joined by thousands of people.

Mr Maroni accused them of "inciting hostility" towards Mr Berlusconi and said the government would introduce emergency measures to protect leaders on Thursday, including blocking websites that encouraged violence.

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