--SUPERS--
Thursday
New York

Joe Lieberman
(D) Former Vice Presidential Candidate
--alt--
(I) Former U.S. Senator

 --LEAD IN--
FORMER SENATOR JOE LIEBERMAN ON THURSDAY DEFENDED PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP"S CONTROVERSIAL SELECTION AS THE NEXT ISRAEL AMBASSADOR.
DAVID FRIEDMAN WAS TAPPED TO SERVE AS U-S AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL LAST FRIDAY. 
EARLIER THIS YEAR FRIEDMAN CALLED SUPPORTERS OF THE PROGRESSIVE JEWISH ADVOCACY GROUP J STREET "WORSE THAN KAPOS" FOR SUPPORTING A TWO-STATE SOLUTION TO ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT.
KAPOS WERE JEWS IN NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS WHO WERE PUT IN CHARGE OF OTHER INMATES AND WORKED WITH THE NAZIS. 
LIEBERMAN BELIEVES FRIEDMAN REGRETS SAYING THAT.<pi />
 --SOT--
Joe Lieberman/(D) Former Vice Presidential Candidate: "I totally disagree with that statement and find it unfair and offensive. And I"ve said this to David, and I think he will make clear that"s one of the statements he regrets having made. I believe so, but I"m going to leave it to him."
 --TAG--
AND LIEBERMAN -- WHO HAS EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR A TWO-STATE SOLUTION -- SAID THAT HE DIDN"T THINK FRIEDMAN"S STRIDENT RHETORIC ON THE ISSUE WAS A CAUSE FOR CONCERN. 
TRUMP HIMSELF HAS NOT TAKEN A CLEAR POSITION ON A TWO-STATE SOLUTION... WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY THE U-S AND ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU.
 ----END-----CNN.SCRIPT-----

 --KEYWORD TAGS--
UNITED STATES POLITICS ELECTION



NAME: GRE UNREST4 20081220I TAPE: EF08/1274 IN_TIME: 11:15:48:04 DURATION: 00:03:28:17 SOURCES: AP TELEVISION DATELINE: Athens - 20 Dec 2008 RESTRICTIONS: SHOTLIST ++DUSK SHOTS++ 1. Top shot of protesters throwing rubbish at Christmas tree in Syntagma square 2. Various of protesters hanging bags of rubbish on branches 3. Riot police attempting to disperse protesters 4. Various of riot police holding protesters to the ground ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 5. Riot police pushing back demonstrators with batons and pepper spray 6. Zoom into clashes 7. Police arresting demonstrator 8. Various of group of police walking with arrested demonstrator 9. Tilt down of Christmas tree to area cleared of demonstrators 10. Police gathered around tree 11. Police leaving square 12. Various of cleaners clearing rubbish from bottom of tree ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 13. Wide of firetruck in street 14. Close of flashing light 15. Various of front of burnt out car 16. Various of side of burnt out car, broken window 18. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Ioannis Kapos, owner of burnt car: "I found my car burnt at 7pm after doing my shopping, they called me to tell me that a couple of cars where burnt in the area and I came to check it out." 19. Wide of building with fire fighters inside 20. Mid shot of fire fighters STORYLINE Protesters clashed with riot police in central Athens after the demonstrators attacked a city-sponsored Christmas tree on Saturday, tossing garbage and hanging rubbish bags from its branches. A crowd of about 150 were confronted by dozens of police shortly after 4pm local time (1400 GMT) after throwing rubbish at the tree in Athens' central Syntagma Square. The clashes continued into the night with police removing at least two people from the scene before forcing the demonstrators to leave the area. The Christmas tree protest had been advertised as part of a day of events in Greece and elsewhere exactly two weeks since a 15-year-old was shot dead by police. Riot police used pepper spray on the protesters. The square's first Christmas tree was burned to the ground on December 8, the worst day of rioting in the Athens centre. Another gathering was set for Saturday night at the site where teenager Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot dead in the central neighbourhood of Exarchia on December 6. The two policemen involved in the shooting death of 15-year-old have been jailed pending trial. One has been charged with murder and the other as an accomplice. A similar gathering the previous Saturday ended with self-styled anarchists armed with rocks, iron bars and Molotov cocktails clashing with tear-gas-throwing riot police. Government officials and police have been hoping that, as Christmas draws near, protest fatigue would set in.

TAPE: EF02/0296 IN_TIME: 22:14:01 DURATION: 2:34 SOURCES: IBA RESTRICTIONS: DATELINE: Jerusalem, 8 April 2002/File SHOTLIST: 1. Wide shot soldiers at ceremony 2. Pan orchestra 3. Wide shot two girls singing 4. Pan orchestra 5. Mid shot Holocaust survivor, Ovadio 6. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Ovadio, Holocaust survivor (over file of holocaust) "When I arrived at Auschwitz I took a vow I would not starve to death. Every day I would go to the kitchen and steal potatoes. I was caught several times. There's a special place there. There's two people with whips. You beg for mercy to no avail. On one occasion I could not bear it anymore. I was absolutely exhausted. Suddenly a German appeared and kicked my testicles. I screamed 'Oy Madre, Oy, Madre!' Which means: 'Oh Mother, Oh Mother' in Spanish. A girl passed by with her kapo. She was from Greece, Salonika. She was a beautiful girl. I saw her and with all my troubles fell in love at first sight. After my beating we met. I wrote her a note saying: 'If God makes us so lucky as to get out alive, we're getting married. I was liberated on May 5th, 1945. One day I went to the community centre in Salonika, I stared and I said: 'Aliza? Aliza?' We hugged each other, we wept, we kissed. People didn't understand what was going on. I said: 'Aliza, you remember you vowed to marry...' but Aliza said she would definitely not marry me. I asked her why, she said: 'I was operated on. I won't be able to bear children.' I said: 'I don't want children.'" 7. Ovadio lighting giant candle 8. Wide shot soldiers STORYLINE: Israel has paused to remember the six (m) million Jews killed by the German Nazis and their collaborators during World War Two. The country began its annual memorial day on Monday with an evening ceremony at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem - the national shrine devoted to Holocaust research and remembrance. Restaurants and places of entertainment closed as the remembrance day began at sundown. Ovadio, a survivor of Auschwitz, met his future wife, Aliza, in the concentration camp. Both made a miraculous escape from the camp and were reunited in Greece. For many years Aliza, a subject of Nazi experiments, believed she couldn't have children. But she eventually fell pregnant and even visited Auschwitz with the couple's son. On Tuesday morning, air raid sirens will sound across Israel, marking a two-minute silence. Later, at the parliament building, schools and other public places, Israelis will read the names of some of the victims.

<p><b>Atención Afiliadas: </b></p>\n<p><b>Este informe contiene material de terceros y, a menos de que se indique lo contrario, este material sólo puede ser utilizado dentro del mismo informe. Además, este material no debe ser usado después de 10 días de su publicación inicial por CNN o, en ciertos casos, por un periodo más corto cuando así se indica.</b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--SUPERS</b>--</p>\n<p>PREFONTED</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--LEAD IN</b>--</p>\n<p>MALUMA REALIZÓ UN ENCUENTRO CON SUS FANÁTICOS EN LOS ÁNGELES. EL COLOMBIANO SE DIO CITA CON SUS SEGUIDORES PARA TOMARSE FOTOGRAFÍAS Y FIRMAR AUTÓGRAFOS.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS</b>--</p>\n<p>ASÍ FUE COMO MALUMA LES AGRADECIÓ A LOS FANS QUE ACUDIERON A UN ENCUENTRO EN LOS ÁNGELES DONDE EL ARTISTA FIRMÓ AUTÓGRAFOS Y SE TOMÓ FOTOGRAFÍAS. EN SUS REDES SOCIALES, EL CANTANTE COLOMBIANO PUBLICÓ UN MENSAJE DANDO DETALLES A SUS FANS DE DÓNDE ENCONTRARLO. LA REUNIÓN SE LLEVÓ A CABO EL PASADO DOMINGO EN EL TEATRO CHINO DEL FAMOSO PASEO DE LA FAMA DE HOLLYWOOD. MALUMA MOSTRÓ EN SUS HISTORIAS DE INSTAGRAM LOS MOMENTOS QUE COMPARTIÓ JUNTO A LAS PERSONAS QUE FUERON A ACOMPAÑARLO. ADEMÁS, PUBLICÓ UN AGRADECIMIENTO A TODOS LOS PRESENTES Y DEJÓ ABIERTA LA PUERTA PARA HACER MÁS REUNIONES CON SUS SEGUIDORES. ESTA NO ES LA PRIMERA VEZ QUE MALUMA REALIZA UNA REUNIÓN DE ESTE TIPO. EN JUNIO PASADO SE ENCONTRÓ CON SUS SEGUIDORES EN LAS CALLES DE FRANCIA PARA CELEBRAR EL LANZAMIENTO DEL TEMA “CONTRATO”. ACTUALMENTE, MALUMA PROMOCIONA EL TEMA “OHNANA”, QUE FUE LANZADO EL PASADO 19 DE SEPTIEMBRE. LA CANCIÓN CUENTA CON LA COLABORACIÓN DE KAPO, RYAN CASTRO, FARRUKO Y NICKY JAM.</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>-----END-----CNN.SCRIPT-----</b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--KEYWORD TAGS--</b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--MUSIC INFO---</b></p>\n<p></p>

NAME: ITA BERLUS 2 20091008Ix TAPE: EF09/0953 IN_TIME: 11:17:00:07 DURATION: 00:02:48:22 SOURCES: AP TELEVISION/EBS DATELINE: Rome/Brussels - 7/8 Oct 2009 RESTRICTIONS: SHOTLIST NB: There is a black hole in edit at 11:17:33:02 to 11:18:16:15 AP TELEVISION Rome, Italy - 08 October 2009 1. Wide of newspapers, zoom in to newspaper with Italian flag and headline reading (Italian) "All are equal before the law." 2. Various of newspaper headlines 3. Close up of headline reading (Italian) "No to immunity law" EBS Brussels, Belgium - 08 October 2008 4. Wide of European Parliament meeting on freedom of information in Italy; European Commissioner Viviane Reding speaking 5. Wide of session 6. Cutaway parliamentarian reading newspaper article on Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi 7. Close of German member of parliament Martin Schulz 8. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Mario Borghezio, MEP from Italian Northern League, Berlusconi coalition partner (++overlaid with opposition party member Gianni Vattimo reacting, shouting back and getting ready to leave++) "Excuse me, all you bold people should go display these ideas in Beijing, Cuba, Tehran - where people die for freedom of press. You are a disgrace. Shame on you! Cowards. Go off to Tehran! Go off to Tehran, cowards! Cowards, cowards, cowards, cowards! Long live our free and democratic country!" AP TELEVISION Rome, Italy - 08 October 2009 9. Wide of piazza 10. People on street 11. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Paolo (no surname given) "If I were on trial nobody would postpone it, the idea that the premier should get special treatment is clearly unconstitutional." AP TELEVISION Rome, Italy - 07 October 2009 12. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "We have 72 percent of the press that is left-wing. We have all the talk shows on public television paid with money from all of us, which are all left-wing and they also make fun of us in comedy shows. Our head of state - you all know which side he is on - and we have 11 judges of the constitutional court elected by the leaders of the left who make the constitutional court not a constitutional organism but a political one. We are going ahead. The trials that they will hurl at me in Milan are real farces, and I will detract some hours from taking care of the government and refute them all as liars. These things invigorate me, they invigorate Italians. Long live Italy! Long live Berlusconi!" 13. Pull out as Berlusconi walks away AP TELEVISION Rome, Italy - 08 October 2009 14. Bus on street 15. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Gertrude (no surname given) "It's my opinion, he's worked and has been working. Everybody has their own opinion, but he should not resign." 16. Policemen outside Palazzo Grazioli, Berlusconi's residence 17. Wide of gate entrance, security STORYLINE Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said on Thursday that he will go on TV and appear in courtrooms to prove that corruption and tax fraud charges in two trials against him are false. The trials in Milan are set to resume after a top Italian court overturned a law granting Berlusconi immunity from prosecution while in office. The ruling by the Constitutional Court on Wednesday dealt the Italian leader a significant blow, handing prosecutors another chance to seek his conviction. The ruling added to the problems of the premier, already engulfed in a headline-grabbing sex scandal over his purported dalliances with young women. However the ever-combative Berlusconi vowed to stay on. "We are going ahead," the premier told reporters in front of his residence in Rome, saying that the trials would be "real farces". Looking strained but determined, he said he felt "invigorated" by the challenge and ended his statement by shouting "Long live Italy! Long live Berlusconi!" Berlusconi's allies also quickly rallied to the support of the billionaire businessman-turned-politician and dismissed calls for his resignation. The prime minister's case overshadowed a discussion on the issue of freedom of information in Italy during the European Parliament's morning session on Thurday. Mario Borghezio, an MEP from the Italian Northern League - a member of Berlusconi's coalition government - traded insults with opposition members during the session and prompted opposition lawmaker Gianni Vattimo to leave. Social Democrat MEP Martin Schulz also attended Thursday's session in Brussels. He crossed lines with Berlusconi during a 2003 parliamentary question-and-answer session on the occasion of Italy's rotating presidency, a day after a Milan court suspended Berlusconi's trial for bribery. Back then, Schulz referred to the Italian leader's use of an immunity law to sidestep bribery charges in an Italian court. This prompted Berlusconi to say: "Mr. Schulz, I know there is a producer in Italy who is making a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I will suggest you for the role of kapo...You'd be perfect." The German word "kapo" usually means a concentration camp guard drawn from the ranks of the prisoners. The law - "Lodo Alfani" in Italian - that was overturned on Wednesday was pushed through by Berlusconi's conservative coalition in 2008 when he faced separate trials in Milan for corruption and tax fraud tied to his Mediaset broadcasting empire. It granted immunity from prosecution while in office to the country's four top office holders - the premier, president of the republic and the two parliament speakers. The proceedings against Berlusconi, who denies all charges, were suspended as a result of the law, drawing accusations that it was tailor-made for the premier. But the 15-judge Constitutional Court, which deals with all matters regarding the constitutionality of Italian law, said the immunity legislation violated the principle that all are equal before the law. The breakdown of the vote is not made public in Italy but Italian media reported that the judges split nine to six. The corruption trial is particularly threatening, because the premier's co-defendant has been convicted of accepting a bribe to lie in court to protect Berlusconi. Even if convicted, Berlusconi could still stay in power, as sentences in Italy are usually not served until all avenues of appeal are exhausted and the prime minister would not be forced to resign as long as he can keep together his conservative coalition, which dominates parliament. Berlusconi has a history of legal troubles stemming from his private interests but he has been either acquitted or cleared because the statute of limitations had expired. The 73-year-old premier continues to be popular in Italy, despite the legal controversy, accusations from his wife that he has had inappropriate relationships with far younger women and allegations from a self-described call girl that he spent a night with her. Berlusconi admitted he was "no saint" but denied ever paying anyone for sex or having any improper relationships.

NAME: ITA BERLUSCONI 20060403I TAPE: EF06/0288 IN_TIME: 10:16:13:20 DURATION: 00:03:52:10 SOURCES: AP TELEVISION/ VNR DATELINE: Various, File RESTRICTIONS: SHOTLIST: AP Television Rome - 31 March 2006 1. Wide pan of Coliseum, electoral posters of Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi's party 2. Various electoral posters of Berlusconi AP Television Rome - 30 March 2006 3. Wide of Berlusconi entering European People Party congress in Rome 4. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "The old social welfare system on which our continent built the well-being of its population for generations, cannot hold up to the challenges of our times. It must be profoundly corrected." 5. Wide of Berlusconi at EPP congress, walking 6. Mid shot of Berlusconi sitting between EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schuessel AP Television Milan - 1994 7. Wide of Mediaset Television Holding headquarters in Milan 8. Various TG5 news, news on Canale 5, national channel owned by Berlusconi 9. Wide of Mediaset board meeting 10. Wide of Berlusconi celebrating with AC Milan football team after winning Champions League in Athens, 1994 AP Television Rome - May 2001 11. Wide Berlusconi at centre-right final electoral rally, before May 13th 2001 general elections 12. Close-up Berlusconi speaking at final electoral rally AP Television Rome - 11 June 2001 13. Mid shot of Berlusconi's swearing in ceremony at 'Quirinale' presidential palace, in front of President Carlo Azegli Ciampi AP Television Rome - 27 April 2005 14. Wide of Italian Senate 15. Mid shot of Berlusconi speaking to the Senate for confidence vote AP Television Rome - May 28 2002 (Paratica di Mare military air base) 16. Wide of NATO summit family photo 17. Mid shot of Berlusconi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President George W. Bush shaking hands AP Television Rome - 10 October 2003 18. Wide of international conference 19. Mid shot of EU Commission President Romano Prodi and Berlusconi shaking hands ++MUTE ++++ AP Television Sardinia - August 17 2004 20. Various of Berlusconi with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Berlusconi wearing bandana after hair transplant operation AP Television Strasbourg - March 26 2004 21. Mid shot Berlusconi being tapped on the head by Luxembourg premier Jean Claude Junker AP Television Strasbourg - 2 July 2003 22. Wide of European Parliament with Berlusconi taking the floor 23. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister, speaking to European Parliament: "Mr. Schulz, I know there is a producer in Italy who is making a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I will suggest you for the role of Kapo (commander)." 24. Cutaway of German socialist MEP Martin Schultz 25. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "You would be perfect for that role." APTN Milan - 17 June 2003 26. Wide of Berlusconi trial 27. Close-up Berlusconi speaking at trial VNR - Confindustria (Italian manufacturers' confederation) Rome - 18 March 2006 28. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister, speaking at Confindustria (Italian manufacturers' confederation): "Okay, I'm telling you, if a businessman has lost his head and supports the left, it means he had a lot of skeletons in the cupboard and has plenty of things to ask forgiveness for, and so seeks haven within the left and the leftist magistrates' union". 29. Cut-away Diego Della Valle, owner of luxury shoemaker Tod's, shouting from audience 30. Berlusconi taking his seat STORYLINE: Italy's national elections are just over a week away and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is waging an intense election campaign. For the past five years Berlusconi has led the longest-serving government in Italy's post-war history. He has held onto power thanks to a large majority based on the alliance with the federalist and anti-immigrant Northern League and the right-wing National Alliance. Pivotal to this coalition is the strong presence of Berlusconi's own creation: Forza Italia (literally "Go Italy!"), a new party founded by the television tycoon in 1994 - and shaped like his private company. Berlusconi collected former Socialists and Christian Democrats, ruined in the early 1990s by the "Mani Pulite" (Clean hands) judiciary investigation on corruption. In the early 1980s Berlusconi, originally a real estate entrepreneur, was one of few Italian businessman to invest in private television. Due to a lack of antitrust laws, Berlusconi was able to merge his channels into three national networks, becoming the only real competitor of the state-run broadcaster RAI. Even his football team AC Milan started an amazing series of successes in Italy and in Europe. In politics, Berlusconi's preferred tactic was to warn against communists taking over Italy. Even during the current electoral campaign, he frequently refers to the left coalition of his rival Romano Prodi as "communists". In 2001 he became prime minister for the second time. But while his first government in 1994, based on an unstable coalition, fell apart after only one year, his second government has served the whole term. It is the first Italian government to have done so since the constitution was signed in 1947. His supporters will remember his government for its various reforms in education, federalism and the labour market. His opponents will remember him as the man who didn't solve his conflict of interests between his private businesses and his institutional power. As an international diplomat Berlusconi will be remembered for having hosted a historic NATO summit in Pratica di Mare (Rome) in 2002 where the NATO-Russia Council was established, and the solemn signing of the European Constitution treaty in Rome in 2004. On the international stage Berlusconi gained a reputation as a jokester and sometimes a fool, and created a few diplomatic faux-pas. Berlusconi has also been unabashed in his concern about his physical appearance. He openly appeared with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife in Sardinia with a bandana on his head following a hair transplant to cover his balding head. Berlusconi shocked other Europeans in 2003 when he compared the German Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Martin Schultz to a Nazi concentration camp guard. "Mr. Schulz, I know there is a producer in Italy who is making a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I will suggest you for the role of Kapo (commander)," he said while addressing the European Parliament. "You'd be perfect." Berlusconi has a long history of problems with the Italian judiciary. He has been the defendant in more than ten trials, and faced allegations of false accounting, illegal financing of parties and bribery. On some he was acquitted - many trials were dropped after the time-limit expired, others are still ongoing. The intensity of this electoral campaign reached a peak recently when Berlusconi appeared before businessmen at the Italian manufacturers' confederation and engaged in a fierce verbal exchange accusing entrepreneurs who supported the left of having skeletons in their closet.

NAME: ITA BERLUSCONI 20060403I TAPE: EF06/0288 IN_TIME: 10:16:13:20 DURATION: 00:03:52:10 SOURCES: AP TELEVISION/ VNR DATELINE: Various, File RESTRICTIONS: SHOTLIST: AP Television Rome - 31 March 2006 1. Wide pan of Coliseum, electoral posters of Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi's party 2. Various electoral posters of Berlusconi AP Television Rome - 30 March 2006 3. Wide of Berlusconi entering European People Party congress in Rome 4. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "The old social welfare system on which our continent built the well-being of its population for generations, cannot hold up to the challenges of our times. It must be profoundly corrected." 5. Wide of Berlusconi at EPP congress, walking 6. Mid shot of Berlusconi sitting between EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schuessel AP Television Milan - 1994 7. Wide of Mediaset Television Holding headquarters in Milan 8. Various TG5 news, news on Canale 5, national channel owned by Berlusconi 9. Wide of Mediaset board meeting 10. Wide of Berlusconi celebrating with AC Milan football team after winning Champions League in Athens, 1994 AP Television Rome - May 2001 11. Wide Berlusconi at centre-right final electoral rally, before May 13th 2001 general elections 12. Close-up Berlusconi speaking at final electoral rally AP Television Rome - 11 June 2001 13. Mid shot of Berlusconi's swearing in ceremony at 'Quirinale' presidential palace, in front of President Carlo Azegli Ciampi AP Television Rome - 27 April 2005 14. Wide of Italian Senate 15. Mid shot of Berlusconi speaking to the Senate for confidence vote AP Television Rome - May 28 2002 (Paratica di Mare military air base) 16. Wide of NATO summit family photo 17. Mid shot of Berlusconi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President George W. Bush shaking hands AP Television Rome - 10 October 2003 18. Wide of international conference 19. Mid shot of EU Commission President Romano Prodi and Berlusconi shaking hands ++MUTE ++++ AP Television Sardinia - August 17 2004 20. Various of Berlusconi with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Berlusconi wearing bandana after hair transplant operation AP Television Strasbourg - March 26 2004 21. Mid shot Berlusconi being tapped on the head by Luxembourg premier Jean Claude Junker AP Television Strasbourg - 2 July 2003 22. Wide of European Parliament with Berlusconi taking the floor 23. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister, speaking to European Parliament: "Mr. Schulz, I know there is a producer in Italy who is making a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I will suggest you for the role of Kapo (commander)." 24. Cutaway of German socialist MEP Martin Schultz 25. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "You would be perfect for that role." APTN Milan - 17 June 2003 26. Wide of Berlusconi trial 27. Close-up Berlusconi speaking at trial VNR - Confindustria (Italian manufacturers' confederation) Rome - 18 March 2006 28. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister, speaking at Confindustria (Italian manufacturers' confederation): "Okay, I'm telling you, if a businessman has lost his head and supports the left, it means he had a lot of skeletons in the cupboard and has plenty of things to ask forgiveness for, and so seeks haven within the left and the leftist magistrates' union". 29. Cut-away Diego Della Valle, owner of luxury shoemaker Tod's, shouting from audience 30. Berlusconi taking his seat STORYLINE: Italy's national elections are just over a week away and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is waging an intense election campaign. For the past five years Berlusconi has led the longest-serving government in Italy's post-war history. He has held onto power thanks to a large majority based on the alliance with the federalist and anti-immigrant Northern League and the right-wing National Alliance. Pivotal to this coalition is the strong presence of Berlusconi's own creation: Forza Italia (literally "Go Italy!"), a new party founded by the television tycoon in 1994 - and shaped like his private company. Berlusconi collected former Socialists and Christian Democrats, ruined in the early 1990s by the "Mani Pulite" (Clean hands) judiciary investigation on corruption. In the early 1980s Berlusconi, originally a real estate entrepreneur, was one of few Italian businessman to invest in private television. Due to a lack of antitrust laws, Berlusconi was able to merge his channels into three national networks, becoming the only real competitor of the state-run broadcaster RAI. Even his football team AC Milan started an amazing series of successes in Italy and in Europe. In politics, Berlusconi's preferred tactic was to warn against communists taking over Italy. Even during the current electoral campaign, he frequently refers to the left coalition of his rival Romano Prodi as "communists". In 2001 he became prime minister for the second time. But while his first government in 1994, based on an unstable coalition, fell apart after only one year, his second government has served the whole term. It is the first Italian government to have done so since the constitution was signed in 1947. His supporters will remember his government for its various reforms in education, federalism and the labour market. His opponents will remember him as the man who didn't solve his conflict of interests between his private businesses and his institutional power. As an international diplomat Berlusconi will be remembered for having hosted a historic NATO summit in Pratica di Mare (Rome) in 2002 where the NATO-Russia Council was established, and the solemn signing of the European Constitution treaty in Rome in 2004. On the international stage Berlusconi gained a reputation as a jokester and sometimes a fool, and created a few diplomatic faux-pas. Berlusconi has also been unabashed in his concern about his physical appearance. He openly appeared with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife in Sardinia with a bandana on his head following a hair transplant to cover his balding head. Berlusconi shocked other Europeans in 2003 when he compared the German Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Martin Schultz to a Nazi concentration camp guard. "Mr. Schulz, I know there is a producer in Italy who is making a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I will suggest you for the role of Kapo (commander)," he said while addressing the European Parliament. "You'd be perfect." Berlusconi has a long history of problems with the Italian judiciary. He has been the defendant in more than ten trials, and faced allegations of false accounting, illegal financing of parties and bribery. On some he was acquitted - many trials were dropped after the time-limit expired, others are still ongoing. The intensity of this electoral campaign reached a peak recently when Berlusconi appeared before businessmen at the Italian manufacturers' confederation and engaged in a fierce verbal exchange accusing entrepreneurs who supported the left of having skeletons in their closet.

NAME: BER PROFILE 20060429Ix TAPE: EF06/0371 IN_TIME: 10:43:06:15 DURATION: 00:03:51:10 SOURCES: AP Television/Confindustria video DATELINE: Various- file RESTRICTIONS: See Script SHOTLIST: AP TELEVISION Rome, 31 March 2006 1. Wide pan from Colosseum to electoral posters of Forza Italia, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi''s party on a wall 2. Various of Berlusconi''s election posters AP TELEVISION Rome, 30 March 2006 3. Wide of Berlusconi at European People Party (EPP)congress in Rome 4. SOUNDBITE (Italian): Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "The old social welfare system on which our continent built the well-being of its population for generations, cannot hold up to the challenges of our times. It must be profoundly corrected". 5. Berlusconi returning to his seat at the EPP congress, next to EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso AP TELEVISION FILE, Milan,1994 6. Exterior of Mediaset Television headquarters 7. Various of TG5 news, news on Canale 5, national channel owned by Berlusconi 8. Wide of Mediaset board meeting 9. Berlusconi celebrating with AC Milan football team after winning Champions League in Athens AP TELEVISION FILE, Rome, May 2001: 10. Various of Berlusconi at centre-right final electoral rally, before May 13th 2001 general elections AP TELEVISION FILE, Rome, 11 June 2001 11. Berlusconi swearing in ceremony at ''Quirinale'' presidential palace, in front of Carlo Azegli AP TELEVISION FILE, Rome, 27 April 2005 12. Wide shot of the Italian Senate 13. Berlusconi speaking at Senate for confidence vote AP TELEVISION FILE, Pratica di Mare Air force Base, Rome, 28 May 2005 14. Wide of NATO summit photo-op 15. Berlusconi shaking the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Geroge W. Bush AP TELEVISION FILE, Rome, 10 October 2003 16. Wide of International conference 17. European Commission President Romani Prodi (wearing glasses) shaking hands with Berlusconi AP TELEVISION ++MUTE++ FILE, Northern Sardinia, 17 August 2004 18. Various of Berlusconi, wearing bandana after hair transplant operation, with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair AP TELEVISION FILE, Brussels, 26 March 2004 19. Luxembourg premier Jean Claude Junker slapping Berlusconi''s head AP TELEVISION FILE, Strasbourg, 2 July 2003 20. Wideshot of European Parliament with EU President Silvio Berlusconi taking the floor 21. SOUNDBITE (Italian): Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "Mister Schulz, I know there is a producer in Italy who is making a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I will suggest you for the role of Kapo (commander). You''d be perfect." 22. Cutaway of German socialist Martin Schultz 23. SOUNDBITE (Italian): Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "You would be perfect for t hat role." AP TELEVISION FILE, Milan 17 June 2003 24. Various shots of Berlusconi trial Confindustria video FILE, Vicenza, 18 March 2006 25. Berlusconi speaking at Confindustria (Business Association) meeting 26. SOUNDBITE (Italian): Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "Ok I''m telling you, when I think why a businessman, if he has not gone out of his mind, supports the Left, I think he must have a lot of skeletons in his closet, and he has a lot of things to be forgiven for, and he puts himself under the protective cloak of the Left and of Left judges." 27. CEO of Italian luxury goods company Tod''s Diego Della Valle yelling 28. Berlusconi taking his seat STORYLINE: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has indicated that he will resign on Tuesday, with national elections in Italy just over a week away. The move came after his opponent Romano Prodi won his first parliamentary battle on Saturday when his candidates were elected speakers of the two houses of parliament. This is the third time that Berlusconi has led the centre-right coalition in a national electoral campaign in the past 12 years. For the past five years Berlusconi has led the longest-serving government in Italy''s its post-war history, thanks to a large majority based on the alliance with federalist-xenophobe Northern League, the conservative National Alliance and Christian Democrats parties. Pivotal in this variegated coalition was the strong presence of Berlusconi''s creation Forza Italia (Go Italy), a new party founded by the television tycoon in 1994 and shaped as private company. Berlusconi invited former Socialists and Christian Democrats, ruined in the early 90''s by "Mani Pulite" (Clean hands) judiciary investigation on corruption, and many among his business collaborators, attorneys, consultants and staffers to form his new party. Berlusconi started his success story as a real estate entrepreneur and in the early 80''s was among the few Italian capitalists to invest in private television. Taking advantage of the lack of antitrust of laws in the television market, in just a few years Berlusconi was able to merge his Mediaset into three national channels (Canale 5, Italia 1, Rete 4) becoming the only real competitor of RAI, Italy''s monolithic state-run broadcaster. Mediaset earned huge amounts of advertising income and monopolised the private television market. While Berlusconi extended his business activity to banks, movie productions and supermarkets, his football team AC Milan started an amazing run of success in Italy and in Europe. When the "Mani Pulite" (clean hands) judiciary investigation on political corruption began cleansing the political class, which was supporting Berlusconi''s interests, the businessman decided to enter politics with his own party, Berlusconi''s tactic was to repeatedly warn of Italian communists coming to power and taking over Italy if he was defeated. It is a technique he has also used frequently during this current election campaign, frequently referring to the leftist coalition of his rival Romano Prodi as "communists". Forza Italia swept to an unexpected victory in the 1994 elections. But the electoral success was based on an unstable coalition that fell apart after one year. Berlusconi had to resign after one year, when his coalition partner, the Northern League withdrew its support. This defeat condemned Berlusconi to a 5 years purgatory leading his party in opposition. The centre-left coalition, with a strong presence of the former communist party took power. Romano Prodi, the Bologna-born professor of economics led the coalition with a weak majority. Prodi, who went on to serve a EU Commission President is now facing Berlusconi again in next week''s elections. Berlusconi, who was born in Milan in 1936, decisively won 2001 elections. For the first time since the signing of 1947 Constitution Italy had the same prime minister for an entire legislature. The centre-right coalition found itself in charge during one of the worst economic situations in Europe in the last few decades. It was partially because of this that the dream of drastic reforms for less taxation and more free trade, announced by Berlusconi as his crucial aim, was highly unattended. Berlusconi''s government will be remembered by his supporters for the various big reforms in education, federalism, labour contracts flexibility, and infrastructure projects, including the construction of the Messina bridge that will eventually connect Sicily to the mainland. His opponents will remember him as the one who didn''t solve his heavy conflict of interest - between his private businesses and his institutional power - and as the one who approved many controversial laws including reforms of criminal laws in favour of his defence attorney Cesare Previti, school reform, weakening the benefits in contracts for young workers, and the Italian military contribution in Iraq. Berlusconi gave his unconditional support to US President George W. Bush pushing through parliament a decision to provide the Italian military support (as a peace operation) in Iraq. This controversial decision prompted widespread protests and peace demonstrations across Italy. As an international diplomat Berlusconi will be remembered for having hosted an historical NATO summit in Pratica di Mare (Rome) during which Russia was admitted to the alliance, and the solemn signing of the European Constitution treaty in Rome. On the international stage Berlusconi gained a reputation as a jokester and sometimes a fool, and was able to create quite a few diplomatic faux-pas, often due to his irrepressible desire to tell jokes during official events. Berlusconi has also been unabashed in his concern about his physical appearance. He became the first Italian politician who spent considerable time worrying about his makeup. He was relatively open about getting plastic surgery on his face, and openly appeared with Tony and Cherie Blair in Sardinia with a bandana on his head following a hair transplant to cover his balding head. Berlusconi shocked other Europeans when he compared German lawmaker Schultz to a Nazi concentration camp commander or recently accused Communist China of having boiled children. Berlusconi has a long history of problems with the Italian judiciary. He has been the defendant in more than ten trials over false accounting, illegal financing of parties and bribery. Sometimes he was acquitted, many times the trial was dropped after the time-limit expired and others are still ongoing. The intensity of this election hit a high recently when Berlusconi appeared before the Italian Businessman''s Association and engaged in fierce verbal exchange accusing entrepreneurs who support the left of having skeletons in their closet.