US 'insults' Berlusconi in press notes

THE US formally apologised to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for distributing to reporters an "insulting'' biography of him that said he was "hated by many''.

The description was included in a thick press kit distributed to reporters travelling with US President George W. Bush from Washington to the Group of Eight summit in Japan that Mr Berlusconi was also attending.

The four-page biography, pulled from the Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, refers to Mr Berlusconi as "hated by many but respected by all at least for his bella figura (personal style) and the sheer force of his will''.

 Mr Berlusconi was said to be "regarded by many as a political dilettante who gained his high office only through use of his considerable influence on the national media...''

It also said Mr Berlusconi was "one of the most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for governmental corruption and vice''.