Prodi's aide calls British minister 'ignorant'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, December 07, 2003

Prodi's aide calls British minister 'ignorant'

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The political adviser of the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi has described Britain's minister for Europe Denis MacShane as "ignorant," the British Guardian newspaper reported on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters in Tunis, Marco Vignudelli fumed over MacShane's comments that Prodi should make up his mind whether to devote himself to Europe or to stand as an opposition leader in the next Italian general election.

"I have heard about that minister in the (British Prime Minister Tony) Blair government, whose name I can't remember, who passes judgments without knowing what he is talking about. Clearlyhe is so ignorant about European questions that he has not even realized that this issue was completely resolved and clarified," Vignudelli was quoted as saying.

"It is a disgrace that someone is offending the president of the European commission without the slightest knowledge of his work diary," Vignudelli said.

The paper reported on Friday that MacShane has questioned whether Prodi's political ambitions are distracting him from leading the European Commission.

"It is not acceptable that the commission should have a president who is not dedicated 100 percent to the questions of Europe, but who is instead seen as a leader of the opposition in exile," MacShane was quoted as saying.

Downing Street and the British Foreign Office have distanced themselves from MacShane, who also had to apologize to Muslims in his constituency for offending them in comments on the war against terrorism.

"We have no criticism to make of Mr. Prodi," Blair's spokeswoman told reporters on Friday.

The Foreign Office, which confirmed that MacShane had been accurately quoted, declined to make any further comment on MacShane's remarks.

The row comes at an awkward juncture, in the run-up to next Friday's summit of European Union leaders to decide on a future constitution for Europe, the paper noted

The European Commission is the executive arm of the European Union.

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