Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was facing intense pressure on Thursday to apologise for a Nazi jibe that triggered outrage and a diplomatic row with Germany just days after Italy took the helm of the EU.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder demanded that Berlusconi formally apologise over what he called a "totally unacceptable" remark likening a German member of the European Parliament to a Nazi concentration camp guard.
Berlusconi said he planned to telephone Schroeder Thursday afternoon, hoping to close the lid on the row over his outburst, which has stoked the controversy over the Italian leader's fitness to serve as president of the European Union.
His remarks caused uproar across Europe, with newspapers saying the controversial media magnate had kicked off his six-month EU presidency in the worst possible way.
"It wasn't merely a gaffe," said the German newspaper Tagesspiegel. "That was the real, genuine Berlusconi."
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