Italy's centre-right leader Mr Silvio Berlusconi today accused Britain's the Economistmagazine of attacking him in the run-up to next Sunday's general election in order to do its left-wing friends a favour.
In an interview with RAI state radio, Mr Berlusconi also said a former
Economist
correspondent in Rome was a communist.
The Economist, part-owned by the Pearson Group, published a hard-hitting article on Mr Berlusconi last week, with a picture of the media mogul on its cover under the headline "Why Berlusconi is unfit to rule Italy".
Mr Berlusconi's holding company has said it will sue the respected British journal for defamation but today the Economist'seditor Mr Bill Emmott said he had seen no sign of a law suit yet.
The Economistis not the only international publication to detail its concerns about Mr Berlusconi leading the world's sixth largest economy, with serious conflict of interest issues sprouting from his wide range of business interests.
The Financial Times, France's Le Monde, Spain's El Mundoand Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitunghave all run pieces expressing unease about the idea of a Berlusconi-led government in Italy.
Mr Berlusconi told RAI the Economistwas a paper which helps its friends when they ask for it and said its article was motivated by a desire to help former correspondent Ms Tana de Zulueta, now a senator for Italy's Democrats of the Left.
The Economistsaid there was no substance to Berlusconi's allegations.