Silvio Berlusconi Telephone Call Leaves Merkel Hanging (VIDEO)

KEHL, Germany — Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi created a stir Saturday by making the German chancellor wait while he chatted on his mobile phone with Turkey's prime minister about who should become NATO's new chief.

Berlusconi was trying to persuade Recep Tayyip Erdogan to accept Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the 28-member alliance's new chief, an Italian government official said. Officials from two other countries confirmed the conversation.

WATCH:

The current secretary-general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer of the Netherlands, is completing his term this summer. Berlusconi was making a "last-minute" effort to persuade Erdogan to reverse Turkey's objection, said the Italian government official, speaking on condition he not be identified further.

Berlusconi was seen chatting on his mobile phone as he got out of his car on the German side of the Rhine River before a symbolic walk across the Europa Bridge that links Germany and France.

In images shown live on European television stations, Berlusconi appeared to gesture to his phone to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as if to explain why he wasn't proceeding with other NATO leaders to be greeted by her.

A visibly perplexed Merkel eventually went ahead without Berlusconi, who was deep in conversation and walked toward the bank of the river as he talked on the phone instead of joining the other chiefs of state.

The perceived snub came days after Queen Elizabeth II jokingly reprimanded Berlusconi for calling out "Mr. Obama" loudly after a group photo was taken at Buckingham Palace before the Group of 20 summit in London.

Buckingham Palace stressed the queen was not offended by Berlusconi and that it had been a "jovial lighthearted moment."

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Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield contributed to this report from Rome.

Comments

[Lee Andrew]

Silvio is talking to his private defense attorney - its normal he must check in hourly.

[HatingTheGame]

Hmm.. this was instructive. Now I know how to say Bush in Italian :-)

[Pip1860]

Time and again, this guy reminds everyone that he is no statesman.

[roddenberry]

Italy has produced nothing since Leonardo da Vinci., excepted mafia and clowns
what's its political future after berlusconi era ? Neofascism

[coolmom64]

According to GDP calculations, Italy was ranked as the seventh-largest economy in the world in 2006.

You Americans have your own Mafia (Wall Street) and clowns (Republican Party).

Americans need to eat some humble pie and stop denigrating other nations.

[golgibody]

could this guy be a bigger d i c k? Isn't he the one who praised Barak Obama's great "tan"?

[JScott]

Oh yes I can see the turnabout as fair play, in a subsequent meeting headed by Berlusconi and all these same folk in attendance­.....he starts out saying 'I have a very important announcement to make so will you all please turn off your mobile phones' then later on in the middle of the 'important announcement' there is the ring tone of a mobile phone.

(annoyingly I have encountered this on more than one occassion)

[NYCMami]

" Yes, sausage on one half and hot peppers on the other. Italian sausage! None of that brauwerst junk. Don't skimp on the chesse. And don't over cook it like last time, dammit! "

[Bigidea]

Thank god we have Berlusconi, as a gift to the comedians. Many comedians have lost their jobs since G W B left office.

[devadasi]

Please....­the Italians are the worst tourists ever traveling through Europe....­they're usually very loud, they travel in packs, and they're constantly chatting on their cell phone....w­hat can I say, that was my experience.

[eden4barack08]

You're right about that. This morning there were a few in Prague at the Obama speech. There we are in an inspiring but sober atmosphere, with the President addressing serious issues like nukes and world peace, people waving Czech and US flags, and these guys came with a huge sign that said "Obama, sorry 4 Berlusconi", not only that, but they also kept shouting it over the crowd. Good grief! Of all the important issues they could've used that visibility to address, that's their only gripe? And then they say he embarrasses them? Talk about pot meet kettle. Sheeesh.

[swimviking]

were you in Prague?

[swimviking]

eccolo qui... e' stupendo!!!

http://tv.repubblica.it/copertina/obama-scusaci-per-silvio/31378?video

[Diogenis]

Regardless, he lacked common courtesy and manners. IF the phone call was so urgent, he could have sent someone to apologize. Manners!!

[swimviking]

a Time Magazine reporter asked an Italian reporter three questions, which the latter could not answer:

- couldn't he have chosen a different moment to phone?
- doesn't he have anyone near him who can advise him about how to behave at international ceremonies?
- did he really have to continue talking on the phone during the moment of silence for the dead?

oh well, the international press had a good laugh.

[Blanca DeBree]

At least he didn't give her an impromptu massage. But then again, no one is that stupid, right?

[NYCMami]

lol

[remf]

He had to make sure there was no MSG in his Chinese food. He was ordering take out for after their lunch, have you had German food? The whole Turkey Prime Minister thing is a front. I read lips he said "riso fritto del porco".

[PSM42]

It's great that the De. ms want to spin that Be. r1uscon1 is a b. um. He _is_ a Ne. 0c0n stooge.

Now if only they would extend that to the other Ne. 0c0n stooge - Sa. rko. But for some strange reason Sa. rko's attempt to become the US's p00dle seems to find favour.

Despite the fact that De Ga. ulle is rotating in his grave at high speed at the thought of La Belle France becoming a tool of the US, once again, by rejoining N. ato.

[eden4barack08]

First of all Dems are not spinning none of the things you said.
As for Sarkozy, he's just as clownish and buffoonish as Silvio, the difference is that French people are proud and mostly keep their personal gripes at home. They would never sell out Sarko's daily gaffes to the international media just to make him look bad, no matter how much they criticize him at home.
And that's a part of French pride that I find quite admirable, actually.

[ricland]

The previous commentator had a point.

Berlusconi is running a country and the walk across the bridge could wait.

Where's the "gaffe" in that?

And why is the word "gaffe" being used anyway? The word has no application here. He was either rude or he wasn't but to say he both committed a gaffe and was rude is putting a spin on the thing that's more media-driven than honest.

And by the way, he also did not commit a "gaffe" by calling out "Mr. Obama!" at that photo shoot.

In fact, it was Queen Elizabeth who was rude. Indeed, she was way out of line most especially since she had no business there anyway. She is not a sitting world leader. She had absolutely no right to chastise the man the way she did. It was flat rude and it may be time to put the old girl in the attic.

There's nothing wrong with Berlusconi except that the media is blowing everything he does out-of-proportion.

[eden4barack08]

You're right about Berlusconi, but I disagree with you about the Queen, she did not "chastise" him, and she doesn't deserve your other comments about her.

Buckingham Palace even issued a statement downplaying the whole incident:

"Buckingham Palace attempted to play down the incident yesterday. A spokesman said: 'It was a light-hearted, jovial moment marked by laughter. There were no gaffes and no offence was taken by anyone.' "

Of course his far left opponents ALWAYS blow everything he does out of proportion, circulate the material to media worldwide at the speed of light, and then they also have the courage to claim that he owns all the media and they have no voice. It's laughable!

[robivecchi]

Technically Queen Elizabeth is a world leader and Berlusconi has been an embarrassment throughout his entire career.

How is chatting pressing business? It seems he has been a rude guest on more than one occasion.

[swimviking]

- couldn't he have chosen a different moment to phone?
- doesn't he have anyone near him who can advise him about how to behave at international ceremonies?
- did he really have to continue talking on the phone during the moment of silence for the dead?

oh well, the international press had a good laugh.

[Kaviraj]

Berlusconi is running a country

Berlusconi is running a racket, you mean. He has been inplicated in criminal bahaviour and seeks to control his country's press.