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Schroeder, Berlusconi meet after opera botch

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, right, greets German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder at Verona's prefecture yesterday. PHOTO: AP

After a botched meeting at the opera, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder finally got their chance yesterday to show the world that their summer squabble was over.

The two leaders shook hands yesterday morning and met in the Verona prefect's office, their first encounter since the spat broke out in July.

The two had been scheduled to meet on Friday in the northeastern city for a performance of Carmen. But Berlusconi announced a few hours before the opera that he wouldn't show, saying he feared that leftist demonstrators would protest his presence and ruin the event for everyone.

"What's there to say?" Berlusconi said yesterday as he arrived for the meeting. "I'm sorry to have missed the performance of Carmen. If I had been there, there probably wouldn't have been a performance of Carmen."

"Carmen went on as planned, and the chancellor had a good night," he added. "The only person who suffered the effect of the uncivil action was the Italian premier."

On Friday, he had said it was possible that a small group of provocateurs might "exploit" the evening by their protests, and indeed about 100 people showed up for the demonstration.

In a statement, he said yesterday's meeting with Schroeder would be a "useful and positive occasion to consolidate and develop the friendly and collaborative relations" between Italy and Germany.

Schroeder regretted Berlusconi's absence, and a German government spokesman insisted that the chancellor was looking forward to yesterday's meetings.

European Commission President Romano Prodi, who also attended the opera and had arranged the encounter, said he and Schroeder heard the news together, a few hours before the performance.

"We had the same reaction and feelings, of understanding of the decision but also unhappiness," he said. "I was unhappy because I thought they were important meetings. [Berlusconi] had gladly accepted to be here."

The Italian-German spat broke out in July, when Berlusconi made a Nazi "joke" that offended many Germans. In the ensuing fallout, Schroeder canceled his Italian vacation.

Ever since, both sides have sought to play down the argument. However, the conservative Berlusconi had expressed fear in recent days that leftist protesters would boo him in Verona.

In the end, about 100 people turned up for the protest, and were kept a great distance from the Arena, while a few dozen police watched them.

In fact, it was criticism of Berlusconi that led to the Italian-German squabble in the first place, one day after Italy took over the six-month EU presidency in July.

Berlusconi was making an introductory appearance at the European Parliament when German lawmaker Martin Schulz spoke out against a recent law passed in Italy that froze the premier's trial on corruption charges. Berlusconi snapped back with a typically off-the-cuff comment that he later described as a joke.

"Mr. Schulz, I know there is a producer in Italy who is making a film on the Nazi concentration camps," Berlusconi said. "I will suggest you for the role of kapo -- a German word used in Nazi concentration camps for privileged prisoners who guarded other inmates.

Germans were disturbed by the flip comment about their darkest period, but Berlusconi refused to apologize.

Then, an Italian tourism official worsened matters, writing in a newspaper article that Germany was an "arrogant" country and its citizens "stereotyped blondes." This led Schroeder to cancel his vacation in Italy.

Despite the scheduled meeting yesterday in Verona -- the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet -- no one was expecting Berlusconi and Schroeder to leave with especially fond feelings for each other.

Schroeder said on his arrival here on Friday: "We don't need to love each other. It's enough that we respect each other."
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