Embarrassed White House apologizes for Berlusconi slight
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The White House offered embarrassed apologies to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Tuesday after it handed out an unflattering portrait of the premier and his country's politics.
Briefing notes given to reporters accompanying President George W. Bush to the G8 summit in Japan described Berlusconi as one of the "most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for government corruption and vice."
When the spokesman for the Italian embassy in Washington, Luca Ferrari, learnt about the howler from the Italian press, he rushed to get an explanation.
"The first thing I did was to call Tony Fratto," a White House spokesman who has remained behind in Washington, he told AFP.
"I made an official protest saying that this was unacceptable and that first we wanted an immediate retraction (of the biography) and above all a formal apology," Ferrari said.
He said Fratto's reacted immediately and offered "a thousand apologies" as well as publicly apologizing for the error.
Fratto told AFP that "there was obviously a mistake, and sloppy work," describing the incident as "unfortunate."
"We very much apologize to the prime minister and to the Italian people," he said.
Fratto insisted Bush "has great admiration and respect for Prime Minister Berlusconi, he has great affection for the Italian people. Italy is a very close friend and ally of America."
Berlusconi, who was sworn in to his third stint as prime minister in May, was one of Bush's strongest supporters during the US-led invasion of Iraq.
Fratto, who is of Italian descent, said he "took special offense" at the biography because he had many friends and family in Italy.
He said he did not want to cast blame but said "someone took biographies off the Internet and didn't read them, no one read them before they were put in the book, they just presumed that they were from a reputable source."
Fratto said his remarks should be taken as "a formal statement of apology to Italy, to the president and to the prime minister and to the Italian people," recalling that Italy was a friend and close ally of the United States.
Berlusconi went against a huge tide of public opinion in sending Italian troops to Iraq, which were then brought back by his successor Romano Prodi.
During a visit by Bush to Rome in Italy a month after Berlusconi's return to power, the two leaders spoke about their friendship and understanding.
"You're right, we're good friends, and I appreciate that very much," Bush said then.
But the Italian press slammed the mistake on Tuesday, with La Stampa saying the biography seemed to be a "deliberate insult" adding that in June the White House was still calling Prodi the head of the government in its press notes.
But Ferrari insisted the affair would blow over following Washington's apologies.
"We are friends. It was obviously a mistake, and it wasn't done on purpose," he added. "We've decided not to declare war," he joked.
