London, July 08: French First Lady Carla Bruni has decided to stay away from the official G8 events in Rome,a day after Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi asked a former topless model to host the spouses of the visiting world leaders.
The Italian-born wife of the French President, who has a history of clashes with Berlusconi, would not attend the G8 events in Rome however, she is to visit the summit venue of L”Aquila, ”The Times” reported.
Bruni will in fact travel to earthquake-stricken city of L”Aquila on Thursday afternoon, where she will visit a hospital and tour the tents housing those who lost their homes in the quake. And she will return to France on Friday morning.
Bruni”s decision came a day after the Italian PM appointed 33-year-old Mara Carfagna who is also the Equalities Minister, to play the role of the nation”s First Lady and host the spouses of the world leaders in the capital. Berlusconi”s wife Veronica Lario announced in May that she was seeking a divorce, partly because she could not stay with a man “who frequents minors”.
Even an online petition by four Italian academics has urged the spouses to boycott the summit on account of the PM”s “offensive” behaviour towards women. Relations between Bruni and the billionaire soured earlier this year after Berlusconi reportedly boasted to her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, that he “gave” him his wife.
The PM has denied the comment. Bruni was said to have remarked that she “was happy she had become French” after Berlusconi”s gaffe about American President Barack Obama”s “suntan”.
—PTI–