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Article: SILVIO'S LABOUR LOVE-IN; Silvio Berlusconi and his billions exercise a strange fascination for Tony Blair and his lieutenants. But Il Cavaliere's friendships have a habit of ending messily, warns Charlotte Eagar.
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 22, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: CHARLOTTE EAGAR
It was one of those occasions Rome does so well: a scarlet puddle of cardinals seated at the side of the pine coffin laid on the marble steps of St Peter's. Opposite, beyond the dead pope, sat Il Cavaliere, Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy. But unusually for Berlusconi, he wasn't the centre of attention, or even in the front row. There were various crowned Catholic heads - King Juan Carlos of Spain and the Prince of Liechtenstein - followed by other monarchs and presidents: President George W Bush, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and President Ciampi of Italy, Berlusconi's adversary. Berlusconi, as Prime Minister of Italy, ...