Opposition wary of Berlusconi olive branch

BRUISED but not broken, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi appears to be milking his recovery from an assault by a protester this week to try to divide opponents by striking an unusually conciliatory tone.

Nursing a broken nose and teeth, the 73-year-old Italian conservative leader can hardly speak but few believe that the attack has tamed his combative nature.

His emollient comments as he left hospital on Thursday were immediately seen as an attempt to split the opposition and ease approval of a judicial reform process that would effectively restore his immunity from prosecution.