BRITAIN: Details of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's forthcoming holiday in Italy were inadvertently sent to media outlets yesterday thanks to a malfunctioning fax, officials in the Tuscan city of Siena said.
A top official at Siena police headquarters said the release of the five-page fax was a mistake, not a security breach.
"There is no question of Mr Blair having to change his programme," said the official, who declined to be named.
The Blair family is due to arrive in Italy on August 12th for a two-week stay at the Tuscan estate of Prince Girolamo Guicciardini Strozzi, near the Tuscan town of San Gimignano.
However, yesterday's fax said Mr Blair would skip the start of the holiday to attend the opening of the Olympic Games in Athens on August 13th, according to Ansa news agency.
"These dates have not yet been confirmed. This is only a provisional programme," said the Siena official.
The document was originally sent to police chiefs at the weekend. But the communique lodged in the memory of the fax machine at local police headquarters and was sent out to various media numbers yesterday.
The Blairs' visit coincides with heightened security fears across Italy. The Interior Ministry has sent a letter to security chiefs around Italy urging them to be on maximum alert this weekend - which is the deadline set by Muslim extremists for Italy to pull its forces out of Iraq or face attacks.