(23 Oct 2011)
1. Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister, walks into room and addresses questions from media
2. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister:
"It's mainly about bad press. Unfortunately we have an anti-Italian opposition (within Italy) which continues to spread pessimism, negativity, defeatism as weapons in its war against the government. This is covered by the left-leaning newspapers. These newspapers are read and copied abroad, and because of that a negativity about Italy is spread which is far from our reality, which is very solid."
3. Silvio Berlusconi walks outside and stops to answer question from media
4. UPSOUND (Italian) Q: Journalist asking question in bad Italian; Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister: "I don't understand, I'm getting older" then leaves
5. Cameramen, photographers
6. Mid of Enda Kenny, Irish Prime Minister
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Enda Kenny, Irish Prime Minister:
"I'm more hopeful than when I came this morning, that by Wednesday we will be able to have moved this process along to a point where decisions can actually be made."
8. Cutaway press
9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Enda Kenny, Irish Prime Minister:
"For the first time actually I found the leadership of the Eurozone focusing in on the fundamentals here, in respect of the situation arising from Greece and the fear of contagion and also the question of what is the best way of leveraging the EFSF in terms of creating that firewall that will prevent the spill over into other countries."
10. Cutaway press
11. ++IN ONE SHOT++ French President Nicolas Sarkozy walking out
12. SOUNDBITE: (French) Nicolas Sarkozy, French President, speaking and leaving:
"There are still problems to solve, but we are moving forward on all the topics. It doesn't mean that everything is resolved, but especially towards the end of the afternoon, we made good progress. QUESTION (not audible) RESPONSE: No, we are moving forward, there is still a lot of work to do - tomorrow, after tomorrow, Wednesday. But there are no more obstacles and we are moving forward."
13. ++ In one shot++ Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund Managing Director walking out
14. Cutaway press
15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund Managing Director:
"We've done some good work today really. It's real progress and I think that positions everyone well for Wednesday. More work to do but heading in the right direction."
16. Lagarde leaving
STORYLINE:
European leaders yet again put off the tough decisions needed to save the continent from its debt crisis but promised Sunday that a comprehensive plan is
still coming.
As they dawdled, the danger was rising in an already high-stakes game.
Leaders of the continent's richest countries had unusually stern words Sunday for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, because many fear his nation could be the next dragged into the debt crisis if it does not make major budget cuts quickly.
Whether that message was getting through, however, was unclear.
Instead of responding to the European leaders' concerns about Italy's very high overall debt level, Berlusconi repeated that the Italian fundamentals are "very solid" and blamed the media as well as the Italian opposition for those concerns.
"Unfortunately we have an anti-Italian opposition which continues to spread pessimism, negativity, defeatism as weapons in its war against the government," said Berlusconi as he left a 12-hour meeting in Brussels where European leaders discussed solutions to the eurozone's on-going debt crisis.
"It's mainly about bad press," he said.
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