Brown meets the Pope
By politics.co.uk staff
Gordon Brown is in Rome today for meetings with the Pope and prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
But the Italian leader had his hands full dealing with a diplomatic spat triggered by insensitive comments he made about Argentina’s former military dictatorship yesterday.
In a series of remarks which promptly appeared on YouTube, Mr Berlusconi referred to “that Argentinean dictator who did away with his opponents by taking them up in an airplane with a football then opening the door and saying ‘it’s a nice day outside go and play’.”
“It’s funny but it’s dramatic,” he continued.
Argentineans, who experienced the loss of around 30,000 people during the last junta, including at least 100 Italian nationals, did not find it funny, and Buenos Aires has summoned the Italian ambassador.
Mr Brown launched the Italian leg of his mini European tour – he is in Berlin over the weekend – with a comment piece in L’Osservatore Romano, a newspaper closely linked with the Vatican.
It is understood to be the first time a foreign leader has written for the newspaper.
Mr Brown and the Pope have a joint passion for development. He visited five years ago to encourage papal support for his International Finance Facility, a scheme designed to finance the millennium development goals, and then again in 2007 to support a Vatican plan underwriting drug development for poor countries.
During a joint press conference with Mr Berlusconi today, the UK prime minister said the Italian leader’s contribution would be increasingly important in the times to come.
“I believe we are going to see unprecedented global cooperation over these next few months,” Mr Brown said.
“There are a hundred million people pushed into poverty as a result of this economic crisis. We are determined the needs of these people will be uppermost in our minds.”
