Schroeder cancels Italian holiday

GERMAN leader Gerhard Schroeder has cancelled his Italian summer holiday after a Rome minister labelled German tourists “hyper-nationalistic blondes”.

Italian Junior Minister Stefano Stefani has refused to apologise for his outspoken attack, in which he also accused Germans of being rowdy beach invaders.

The row followed last week’s European parliament outburst by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who compared a German MEP to a Nazi prison guard.

Mr Schroeder will now spend his holiday in his home town of Hanover.

“Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder does not want to put his family through further speculation about the little vacation time they have together,” government spokesman Bela Anda said in a statement.

Two of Germany’s top government figures had earlier demanded that Mr Stefani, a member of the far-right Northern League, should leave office over his remarks.

“If I were the Italian head of government, that man would no longer be in office,” said Interior Minister Otto Schily, labelling the comments “obscene”.

Economy and Labour Minister Wolfgang Clement was meanwhile quoted in the mass-selling Bild newspaper as saying Mr Stefani should be “taken out of circulation”.

A s German anger continued over the double set of Italian insults, Italians feared more tourists might cancel their lucrative summer bookings.

Officials were appealing to the millions of other Germans expected in Italy to go ahead with their holiday plans.

But Mr Schily, speaking before Mr Schroeder’s decision was announced, implied that Germans might vote with their feet.

“The Italians must know that there is competition for German tourists,” he said.

“Those who kick you in the shins and spit at you must not be surprised that that is not good publicity for their country.”