Germany demanded an official apology from Berlusconi

"This comparison, this remark, is a mistake in form and content and totally unacceptable," he declared.

Berlusconi apologized to the German people Wednesday, July 2, after sparking outrage with a Nazi slur, saying he is confident a telephone call with the German chancellor would end the rift.

Speaking after a meeting between Berlusconi and members of the European People’s Party at the European Parliament, EPP deputies said the “maverick” Italian leader was sorry for causing upset.

"I’m sorry if I have offended the historical feelings of the German people," the (EPP) lawmakers quoted Berlusconi as saying, Agence France-Presse(AFP) reported.

"I only wanted to respond to offensive and unacceptable remarks," he told the MEPs after a German deputy, Martin Schulz, had accused the media magnate of exporting his conflicts of interest to the rest of the European Union.

After an address by Berlusconi to the European Parliament on Italy’s plans for its six-month E.U. presidency, which started Tuesday, June 1, Schulz had said that "the virus of Italian conflict of interest is being transferred to the European Union".

Berlusconi retorted by inviting the German MEP to appear in a film as a Nazi camp guard, provoking uproar among deputies.

However, Berlusconi had refused to apologize personally to Schulz, the EPP members said.

He told reporters on Thursday, July 3, that he was confident a telephone call to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder planned for later in the day would heal the rift caused by his Nazi jibe the previous day.

Asked if he believed the phone talks scheduled for 1230 GMT would suffice to close the diplomatic spat, the prime minister replied: "I really think so."

"Carefully Planning"

Berlusconi muddied the waters somewhat when he also accused the Italian centre-left opposition of "carefully planning" the heckling of his speech by a German MEP the day before.

"The intervention by the German Eurodeputy Schulz yesterday in Strasbourg was carefully prepared by our opposition," Berlusconi told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with Italian business leaders in Rome.

In Germany, a close ally of Chancellor Schroeder, Olaf Scholz, condemned the remark, saying the Nazi era was not something to be joked about, even in irony.

"The countless numbers of people who fell victim to the Nazi dictatorship, including many Social Democrats, forbids all irony," said Scholz, the general secretary of Schroeder’s ruling Social Democrats.

"Great Offence"

As part of wide criticism of the remarks, E.U. Parliament chief Pat Cox called on Berlusconi to rapidly "clear up" remarks, saying they had caused "great offence" to European deputies.

"Clearly, Mr. Berlusconi’s remarks caused a sense of great offence among many MEPs. In these circumstances, Schulz has my full sympathy and solidarity," he said.

Cox added: "I am also strongly of the view that the European parliament is not the place for the pursuit of national polemics: a position which I hope all the participants in our debates will respect in the future."

Cox feared the row involving the prime minister’s slur would put the European bloc in an “institutional crisis”.

The incident has prompted an extraordinary diplomatic row between two of the European Union’s biggest countries, the BBC NewsOnline reported.

Scroeder’s office summoned the Italian ambassador to Berlin to protest and the Italians responded by summoning the German envoy to condemn the comments made by Schulz.

‘Provoked’

In the same context, mortified Deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini, who flanked Berlusconi as he outlined to the Strasbourg assembly Italy’s plans for its six-month presidency, said earlier : "It would have been better if he apologized."

It was the worst possible start to Italy’s presidency and comes after Berlusconi had survived an onslaught by European media openly questioning his moral fitness to lead Europe, given his trial on judge bribing charges in Italy.

Also, Enrique Baron Crespo, head of the Socialists grouping in the European parliament, called for a formal apology from the Italian prime minister.

Fini, who also heads the National Alliance party, said the prime minister had been "seriously provoked," but that "unfortunately, he fell into the trap."

But he added: "No accusation, however annoying, can justify the epithet of Nazi guard for a political adversary.

"On a human level I can understand, but I disapprove of the obstinacy with which prime minister Berlusconi defended his right to speak, which he certainly meant as irony. It was far better to apologize."

"I disapprove and I find it difficult to understand," said another of Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition allies, Marco Follini, head of the small Christian Democrat UDC party.

"It’s an unfortunate episode," said Berlusconi’s European Affairs Minister Rocco Buttiglione.

Sandro Bondi, spokesman for Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, smelled a conspiracy. "I wouldn’t be surprised if the deliberate provocation of the German deputy was directly inspired by some sector of the Italian left," he said.

‘Letter of Apology’

Meanwhile, the ANSA news agency reported that centre-left Italian MEPs were preparing to send a letter of solidarity to Schulz.

"It’s a letter of apology and also to recall that there is another Italy," the agency quoted MEP Pasqualina Napoletano as saying.

"Berlusconi does not represent all Italy. We don’t accept Berlusconi being identified with Italy."

Berlusconi is no stranger to such verbal gaffes.

Months after his centre-right coalition swept to power in May 2001, the *censored*y Berlusconi provoked a storm of protest, from West and East, when he said Western civilization was superior to Islam, just at a time of heightened tensions with the Islamic world.

Berlusconi apologized for the slur, telling the senate he was "sorry" if his comments had hurt Arabs and Muslims, and that he had been misinterpreted by "fools" in the Italian press corps.