Pressure mounts on Berlusconi
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was under mounting pressure today to apologise over the “Nazi” jibe which has stunned Europe.
Mr Berlusconi caused uproar in the European Parliament yesterday when he compared a German Euro-MP to a concentration camp commandant.
Euro MPs on all political sides condemned the attack, warning it went beyond a personal insult and had plunged the European Union into crisis.
The diplomatic fallout reached Berlin, where the Italian ambassador was called by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for an explanation.
Mr Berlusconi insisted he had nothing to apologise for.
After leaving the European Parliament chamber he shrugged the spat off as a “stupid side issue“, declaring: “If people are not able to understand irony, I am very sorry, that’s too bad, but I am not withdrawing what I said with irony.”
The clash came as the Italian premier launched Italy’s six-month presidency of the European Union.
