Berlusconi takes Chancellor to opera

ROME: The Italian Prime Minister, Mr Silvio Berlusconi, will embark on a fence-mending exercise tonight when he attends an opera…

ROME: The Italian Prime Minister, Mr Silvio Berlusconi, will embark on a fence-mending exercise tonight when he attends an opera in the company of the German chancellor.

Mr Berlusconi is expected to join Mr Gerhard Schröder at a performance of Bizet's Carmen in the Roman amphitheatre at Verona, along with Mr Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission and his probable rival at the next general election.

The diplomatic initiative with Germany's leader was brokered by Mr Prodi and the left-wing mayor of Verona, and will demonstrate publicly that the two men have put the tensions of early July behind them.

Mr Schröder cancelled his Italian holiday after Mr Berlusconi's quip about a German MEP being suited to a film role as a Nazi concentration camp guard.

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Left-wing opponents of Mr Berlusconi are reportedly preparing to disrupt the concert, though some hecklers say the most effective protest would be prolonged ironic applause.

Opera will also be on the menu the following weekend when Mr Berlusconi plays host, at his luxury villa in Sardinia, to President Vladimir Putin.

The music-loving Italian leader has reportedly secured the services of the tenor Andrea Bocelli for a private concert in the gardens of Villa Certosa.

Mr Berlusconi hopes his billionaire diplomacy will consolidate his position as a big player on the international scene.

He will be less happy if people remember that his early real estate acquisitions in Sardinia were made under the guidance of Flavio Carboni, a local businessman who is also a leading suspect in the murder 21 years ago of the banker Roberto Calvi.