Forum Views () 
Forum Replies ()  
 
 
Read more with google mobile :
Bruised Berlusconi to capitalize on assault
|  
 
 
 
	
	
		
Edition:
		
U.S.
		
		
	
	
		
			
				
					
					
						
					
				
				
					
					
						
					
				
				
					
					
						
					
				
			
		
	
	
	
		
			
				
				
			
		
	
 
	
 
	
 
	
 
	 
         
         
		
        
	
	
 
	
		
Article
    
	
Save
Email
Print
Reprints
	
	
    	
 
	 
         
         
		
        
        
  
   
	
 
	 
         
         
		
        
	 
 
				
				
					
					
Most Popular
					
Most Shared
					
				 
			
			
	
		
		
		
Fox says Time Warner Cable may drop Fox TV shows
	11:49am EST 
	
Twitter hacked by "Iranian Cyber Army"
	12:08pm EST 
	
Obama faces healthcare insurrection from left flank
	17 Dec 2009 
	
World leaders seek last-minute climate compromise
| Video
		
	3:46pm EST 
	
House Republicans warn Obama on climate steps
	12:13pm EST 
	
	
		
		
		
		
		
Fox says Time Warner Cable may drop Fox TV shows
	11:49am EST 
	
Midnight in the food-stamp economy
	11:52am EST 
	
GM to shut down Saab, talks with Spyker fail
	2:15pm EST 
	
Happy Christmas honey - here's a divorce voucher
	17 Dec 2009 
	
Twitter hacked by "Iranian Cyber Army"
	12:08pm EST 
	
	
		
		
 
	 
         
         
		
        
	
	
    	
 
	 
         
         
		
        
        
  
   
	
Bruised Berlusconi to capitalize on assault
	
	
		
Silvia Aloisi
		
ROME
		
Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:05pm EST
	
               
      
 
      
               
      
      
 
    
			
     
	
ROME (Reuters) - Bruised but not broken, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is milking his recovery from an assault by a protester this week to try to divide opponents by striking an unusually conciliatory tone.
 
			World  |  Italy
Nursing a broken nose and teeth, the 73-year-old Italian conservative leader can hardly speak but few believe that the attack has tamed his combative nature.
His emollient comments as he left hospital on Thursday were immediately seen as an attempt to split the opposition and ease approval of a judicial reform that would effectively restore his immunity from prosecution.
"In the past few days I have felt closer even to some political leaders of the opposition," said the prime minister, better known for scathing tirades against his adversaries.
"If they distance themselves from the few instigators of violence, then a new phase of dialogue could begin," Berlusconi said in a written statement.
That appeared a clear message for Pier Luigi Bersani, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, to shed his alliance with a small party led by former prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro, one of Berlusconi's fiercest critics.
"WHERE IS THE TRICK?"
Bersani, who visited Berlusconi in hospital, responded coolly: "We know what we have to do. The ruling coalition and Berlusconi should think about their own shop."
Di Pietro summed up the view of many on the center-left, saying: "When the offer of dialogue comes from Berlusconi, the first thing to ask is: where is the trick?"
The assault capped a tough year for Berlusconi, who has been damaged by a string of sex scandals and a messy divorce, and faces the reopening of trials for corruption and tax fraud after the Constitutional Court lifted his immunity.
The outpouring of sympathy following Sunday's bizarre incident, when a man with a history of mental illness threw a spiked model of Milan cathedral in his face at an outdoor rally, will earn him a reprieve.
But that may not last long in a country which remains as polarized as ever in its attitudes to the media tycoon.
Aides have described the usually irrepressible Berlusconi, who only recently compared himself to Superman, as demoralized after the assault. And in private some center-right politicians say the pressure of the last few months was taking its toll on him even before the aggression.
FIGHTER
In the past, Berlusconi has proved an indomitable fighter -- bouncing back from political, legal and health problems.
Many saw his immediate reaction to the attack -- leaping out of his car defiantly to show his bloodied face to the crowd as bodyguards tried to bundled him inside -- as a sign of his spirits and political reflexes.
"He is a lion, and he will be back roaring soon," said his spokesman, Paolo Bonaiuti.
With two bills that could shield him from trials landing in parliament next month, the olive branch to the opposition appears designed to speed their approval and please President Giorgio Napolitano, who has called for political dialogue.
It also weakens the hand of critics within Berlusconi's own camp, including lower house speaker Gianfranco Fini, who has accused him of behaving like an "absolute monarch."
But even if the truce lasts into the new year, few are betting on a genuine ceasefire, especially with regional elections slated for March.
"The sugar-coated words used by a bandaged Berlusconi as he left hospital should not fool anybody," wrote the daily La Stampa in an editorial. A return to full-blown hostilities was probably only a matter of time, it said.
(additional reporting by Paolo Biondi, editing by Paul Taylor)
			
World
			
Italy
			
 
	 
     
      
	
	
More from Reuters
 
		
		
				
House prices rose 0.2 percent in 3rd quarter: survey
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. house prices rose in the third quarter, ending a two-year downward trend, and the housing market was now slightly undervalued, an independent survey showed on Friday.
	
		
GM to shut down Saab, talks with Spyker fail
Tech lifts Nasdaq, but dollar weighs on Dow, S&P
| Video
		
Borders CEO nixes idea of own e-reader
U.S. charges 3 accused of al Qaeda link in drug case
Estate tax repeal seen bringing chaos
	
» More Top News
		
		
           
The food-stamp economy
On the last day of every month, shoppers at Walmart  load their carts with food and household items and wait for the midnight hour. Is this the new normal in America?  Full Article 
Factbox: A look at food stamps in U.S.
Focusing on food for the holidays
A "lost" middle class?
U.S.
           
Let's make a deal
The battered M&A sector will make a tepid recovery in the coming year and three hot sectors will lead the way, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis.  Full Article 
JPMorgan tops ECM rankings
Hungry for deals after a forced diet
Fewer bankruptcies seen in 2010
Global Deals Review
	
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
	
	
© Copyright 2009 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
 
Reuters
	
Contact Us
	
Advertise With Us
	
Help
	
Journalism Handbook
	
Archive
	
Site Index
	
Video Index
 
	
Analyst Research
	
Mobile
	
Newsletters
	
RSS
	
Podcasts
	
Widgets
	
Your View
	
Labs
Thomson Reuters
	
Copyright
	
Disclaimer
	
Privacy
	
Professional Products
	
Professional Products Support
	
Financial Products
	
About Thomson Reuters
	
Careers
Online Products
	
Acquisitions Monthly
	
Buyouts.com
	
Buyouts Europe:
	
Buyouts Conferences:
	
Venture Capital Journal
	
ECVJ
	
International Financing Review
	
International Securitisation Report
	
Project Finance International
	
PEhub.com
	
PE Week
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
 
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
Other News on Saturday, 19 December 2009 Lebanon ship rescuers find 14 survivors, nine bodies  
Snowy Europe cold snap brings transport chaos  
Swiss and Google reach privacy accord pending verdict  
Iranian forces take over Iraq oil well  
British borrowing rockets to record high  
EU employers concerned about Chinese protectionism  
French ex-president Chirac faces new corruption charges  
Mexico turns to navy to bolster flagging drug war
|  
Iraq: Iran oil well takeover violated sovereignty  
US-TECH Summary  
Twitter hacked by "Iranian Cyber Army"  
Karzai to keep pro-West ministers: Afghan officials
|  
Google in talks to buy Yelp: report  
Morocco yields to pressure, activist back home
|  
French court rules against Google  
Colombia says Mexico capo death weakens cartel ties
|  
Bruised Berlusconi to capitalize on assault
|  
Twitter hacked by 'Iranian Cyber Army'  
Support lower for U.N. text on religion defamation
|  
U.S. trade court rules for Kodak in patent fight
|  
Deadlock forces climate talks into overtime  
Va. man convicted of in-home indecent exposure  
Suicide bomber near Pakistan mosque kills 10  
U.S. and Russia close to agreeing arms deal  
'Details' still outstanding in new US arms treaty: Russia  
Hundreds demand Papuan independence  
Slain Fla. girl's mom may still face death penalty  
Massacre suspect mobbed by journalists in Philippines  
GOP signals more delays ahead for health bill  
Vietnam's 'illegal' Buddhists seek French asylum  
'Pink Panther' jewel thieves sentenced in Serbia  
High-speed ferry ends service from Maine to Canada  
Mosque bomb kills 11 as US drone targets NW Pakistan  
Storms flood Fla., bear snow for mid-Atlantic  
Volunteer work resolves NYC cat-stomping case  
Rights group accuses Mongolia over 2008 rioting  
New CDC estimate: 1 in 110 children have autism  
US official: Obama, Chinese take 'step forward'  
Feds: Arrests in Africa link al-Qaida, drugs  
Chinese environmental group wins two cases  
US says China agrees to end brand subsidies WTO case  
Keira Knightley wins mixed reviews in stage debut  
Chinese environmental group wins 2 cases  
India to grow strongly but food inflation a worry  
North Korea sets new prices, uncertainties remain  
Jon and Kate Gosselin divorce finalized
|  
Michael Jackson tribute concert scrapped
|  
Spain's 'guardian angels' help reduce prison suicides  
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary  
Keira Knightley wins mixed reviews in stage debut  
Jackson tribute organizer in liquidation  
Beauty is between eyes, mouth of the beholden  
ABC Newsman Charles Gibson's last day at work  
Afghan president faces first test with cabinet choices  
Afghan leader keeps top ministers in new cabinet
|  
Twitter hacked by 'Iranian Cyber Army'  
Three Eurostar trains stuck in Channel Tunnel  
Iraq accuses Iran of seizing oil well near border  
Ailing Chrysler has nothing new for Detroit auto show  
Stop threats if you want a nuclear deal, Ahmadinejad tells West  
'Avatar' director Cameron gets Hollywood star  
Iraq protests against Iranian takeover of oil well  
Fifty Serbian citizens leave on first visa-free EU visit  
Sales of music video games plummet in 2009  
Attacks on Greek ruling party offices ahead of debt talks  
Trade court rules for Kodak in patent fight  
Deadlock forces climate talks into overtime  
French court rules against Google  
Thieves steal infamous Auschwitz death camp sign  
Uganda anti-gay measure a bad precedent
|  
Trade court rules for Kodak in patent fight  
RIM outshines Palm but fails to dispel all doubts
|  
Report: US helped Yemen's strike against al-Qaida  
Sales of music video games plummet in 2009
|  
Cambodia to deport Uighurs despite persecution fears  
P & G Issues Recall For Dayquil Cold & Flu Liquicaps Due To Lack Of Child-Resistant Backing  
Google in talks to buy review site Yelp: reports
|  
Philippine volcano evacuees facing 'months away'  
Book explores evangelical monopoly in sports world  
Majority Of CEOs Surveyed Plan To Increase Workforce Over Next 1.5 Years  
Verizon Wireless says early termination fees fair
|  
SEA Games: Inquest starts for table-topping Thailand  
Correction: Ganja Gourmet story  
Restaurant: Discount With Grilled Cheese Sandwich Tattoo  
CDC: Rare infection passed on by Miss. organ donor  
Child, 4, Found Drinking Beer Wearing Dress  
Cambodia to expel 20 Uighurs despite US protest  
Death Penalty Use Decreases In U.S.  
Kansas girl says 'Superman' lifted vehicle off her  
Patent Battle Reset For NewRiver and Newkirk Products  
Chinese-sculpted winter wonderland in Washington  
Researchers: Umbilical Cord New Option For Stem Cell Harvesting  
Beijing vehicles exceed four million: state media  
Man arrested after throwing paint on Vegas sign  
French Court Fines Google $430,000 For Violating Copyright Law In Digitizing, Publishing Books Online, Orders Google To Stop  
Europe laments 'lack of ambition' in climate deal  
Book: Prosecutors were prepared to indict Clintons  
Obama sends New Year's greetings to Hmong  
Gay Couple Argue Over Divorce  
Justice Department Asks Court Not To Lift ACORN Funding Ban  
Australian PM says climate talks nearly collapsed  
Pakistani c.bank buys 120 bln rupees of govt paper  
World air travel falls record 3.1 percent in 2009  
Eminem named artist of decade on U.S. charts
|  
"Avatar" midnight screenings pull in $3.5 mln  
Alicia Keys finds freedom from Motown sound
|  
"Alien" screenwriter Dan O'Bannon dead at 63  
Madonna leads list of 2009's top music tours
|  
The five legal cases that defined the year in music
|  
Alien screenwriter Dan O'Bannon dead at 63
|  
Officials: Pot found on 2 Lil Wayne tour buses  
Kashmir's disabled cricketer dreams of India match  
Jackson's 'Captain EO' to return to Disneyland  
Rising affluence sees Beijing cars pass 4 mln mark  
Flying Chihuahuas: Dogs change coast in big exodus  
Beyonce's mother Tina Knowles files for divorce  
ABC News' Charles Gibson signs off after 34 years  
Eminem named artist of decade on U.S. charts  
Madonna leads list of 2009's top music tours  
Iraqi troops in standoff with Iran  
Iran, Iraq seek diplomatic end to border dispute
|  
Google phone revolution or misdirection?  
Karzai tries to please all with new Afghan cabinet  
Nigeria oil rebels claim attack over talks delay
|  
Lebanon's Hariri in Syria for landmark talks  
Cambodia to deport Uighurs despite persecution fears
|  
U.S. helped Yemen with hardware, intelligence: report
|  
Lebanon's Hariri in Syria for landmark talks
|  
Iran ready to examine nuclear fuel swap offers: FM  
Strong quake hits Taiwan, minor damage reported
|  
Karzai tries to please all backers with new Afghan cabinet  
Four al Qaeda suspects found in Yemen hospital
|  
Lebanon's Hariri in Syria on first trip as PM  
Suspected insurgents kill 3 Buddhists in Thai south
|  
Pope John Paul moves closer to sainthood
|  
Karzai presents new Afghan Cabinet list  
Chinese vice president arrives on Myanmar visit  
15 rescued Sri Lankan refugees leave Indonesia  
Key defense spending vote in Senate on Saturday  
Nominees for Afghanistan's new Cabinet  
The nation's weather  
Pakistani ruling party grapples with amnesty's end  
U.S.-Russia arms deal unlikely before Feb-newspaper  
Suspected insurgents kill 3 Buddhists in Thai south  
Zardari convenes Pakistan crisis talks  
Brazil AG's appeal backs US dad in custody battle  
Pakistan ruling party grapples with court decision  
China's vice-president arrives in Myanmar for talks  
Honda to build fifth plant in China: report  
Beijing enlists LA Lakers to promote city: report  
Restaurant: Discount With Grilled Cheese Sandwich Tattoo  
Child, 4, Found Drinking Beer Wearing Dress  
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro  
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found  
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever  
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production  
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time  
AMD to Start Production of piledriver  
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs  
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia  
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air  
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch  
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent  
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up  
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform  
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis  
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets  
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights