U2 frontman slams Berlusconi

U2 frontman Bono had some less-than-complimentary words for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over the weekend. Berlusconi's party is running for reelection this month, and according to the BBC, a campaign booklet that shows off a series of accomplishments has a picture of Bono along with the caption, "The Irish star is grateful to the prime minister for the actions promoted by the Italian government towards poor countries." In response, the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera published on its front page yesterday (Sunday, April 2nd) a letter from Bono that read, in part, "Mr. Berlusconi, as flattered as I can be of appearing in your brochure, I also feel a bit exploited." Bono then questioned whether Berlusconi was serious about having Italy cancel its portion of Third World debt and wrote, "If your commitment is real and your signature is trustworthy, then the world wants to know how Italy intends to reach this target. For now you haven't offered any explanation, even though luckily there is still some time." A government spokesperson responded to the U2 frontman by saying, "We will show with the facts the strength of our commitment to the poorest countries."
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