Berlusconi meets Jewish leaders to heal Mussolini row

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, September 18, 2003

Berlusconi meets Jewish leaders to heal Mussolini row

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi met Wednesday the leaders of Italy's Jewish community in a bid to heal a row triggered by recent controversial comments on Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

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Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi met Wednesday the leaders of Italy's Jewish community in a bid to heal a row triggered by recent controversial comments on Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

The Italian prime minister's office issued a statement afterwards saying that Berlusconi "regretted" any pain caused to the Jewish community by "instrumental interpretations that had twisted his views."

Berlusconi visited the main Synagogue here for talks with Jewish community chief Leone Paserman; Amos Luzzatto, the chairmanof the Union of Italian Jewish Communities; community spokesman Riccardo Pacifici and other top officials.

Italian Minister for Relations with Parliament Carlo Giovanardi,who accompanied Berlusconi, said afterwards that "I believe everything the government has said has been very clear and removedall possibility of any misunderstanding."

Earlier Wednesday, Giovanardi issued a statement to the Lower House in the name of the government which said that "this government and majority condemns every form of totalitarianism, including Fascism and recognizes the role of anti-Fascism and the Resistance in regaining lost democratic and civil rights."

But Jewish leaders gave a mixed verdict on the outcome of the meeting with Berlusconi, who triggered a storm with an interview in which he said that Mussolini was a "benign" dictator who "nevermurdered anyone."

Luzzatto said that "Berlusconi told me that his comments were part of a summer chat, that meant nothing and was without historical value or assessment. He added that, if they had caused me pain, he was sorry," he said.

In the August 27 interview with two British journalists which was published last week, Berlusconi said Mussolini "never murderedanyone" and instead "sent people on holiday", referring to the banishment of dissidents to small islands which have since become resorts.

The prime minister later said his intention had not been to "re-evaluate" Mussolini but to patriotically defend Italy after the two journalists from the weekly The Spectator had asked him if Fascism could be compared to Saddam Hussein's regime.

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