SCHROEDER UNPACTS HIS BAGS

Schroeder scrubs Italian holiday (BBC, 7/09/03)

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has cancelled his Italian summer holiday after a Rome minister labelled German tourists
"hyper-nationalistic blondes".

Silvio Berlusconi, his Italian counterpart, responded by saying he felt "sorry" for Mr Schroeder.

A row between the two countries was re-ignited this week when Italian Tourism Minister Stefano Stefani of the far-right Northern League refused to apologise for his outspoken attack, in which he also accused Germans of being rowdy beach invaders.

It follows last week's European parliament outburst by Mr Berlusconi, who compared a German MEP to a Nazi prison guard.

Mr Schroeder will now spend his holiday in his home town of Hanover.

Steel yourself for ugliness when these two countries commence hostilities... Posted by Orrin Judd at July 9, 2003 9:56 PM