Obama mania strikes Italian Premier

Italian newspapers ribbed Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday for startling Queen Elizabeth by shouting out to the US president after a group photo with G20 leaders.

Television footage shows Berlusconi at the edge of the group calling out loudly "Mr Obama! It’s Berlusconi".

The footage shows the Queen looking startled by the shout. She turns as if to see where the noise was coming from and makes a comment with one gloved hand raised.

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace declined to repeat what she had said and played down the exchange, saying "there was no offence taken on either side".

The photo-shoot had taken place in a fun and light-hearted atmosphere, the spokesman added.

Berlusconi’s office issued a statement saying he "never said what is attributed to him by news agencies regarding President Obama".

Berlusconi, a 72-year-old media magnate in his third term in office with a high rating in opinion polls, has a history of diplomatic gaffes, twice recently referring to Obama’s skin colour — or "sun tan", as the Italian leader called it.

The press had a field day. Among the cartoons, one in La Stampa said Berlusconi had an "unrivalled ability to make a fool of himself" which "we in Italy call charisma".

Il Giornale, owned by Berlusconi’s brother, also reported the event, but put a positive spin on it, saying the Italian premier had helped make a stiff occasion more relaxed.

Photographs of the G20 also showed Berlusconi popping up behind Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and clapping his hands on their shoulders to smile for the cameras.

-Reuters