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Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi telephoned European Parliament Speaker Pat Cox on Tuesday to express his regret for last week's controversial Nazi row with a German member of the European Parliament.
Cox's spokesman said Berlusconi "voiced his regret for using, during the course of an animated debate, certain expressions and comparisons which upset the members of the European Parliament."
After heckling from German Social Democrat's member Martin Schulz, who challenged Berlusconi on domestic legal issues and conflicts of interest, the Italian premier said Wednesday in the European Parliament that Schulz would be "perfect" for the role of a Nazi concentration camp Kapo (inmate turned guard) in a film currently being shot in Italy.
Since last Wednesday's incident, Cox has repeatedly said the European Parliament expected an apology from Berlusconi, stressing it was not enough to clear up the matter with Germany.
After the phone-call, which lasted about 10 minutes, Cox's spokesman said the European Parliament Speaker considered Wednesday's incident "definitively closed."
The speaker's office released a statement saying Berlusconi had voiced regret for using "certain expressions and comparisons which wounded the sensitivities" of the members of the European Parliament.
It added that he had "never meant to offend" and his intentions" may have been misinterpreted."
(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2003)
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