Italy's Monti Makes Fun of His Grey Man Image
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti made fun of his sober image on Thursday, quipping that he was not a robot and had appreciated a German newspaper's description of him as "the ideal son-in-law."
"I am the ideal son-in-law because I don't talk much, I dress in a serious and banal way and I don't make much noise," Monti told reporters at an end-of-year press conference.
"For German public opinion, most of the work is done," he quipped.
He also referred to a popular comedian, Maurizio Crozza, whose sketches portray Monti as a well-meaning but soulless robot.
"This government is made up of people. They are efficiently represented on television as robots but they are real people," he said.
Monti replaced the flamboyant Silvio Berlusconi last month and has been portrayed as the antidote to his predecessor, who became famous for his buffoonery on the international stage, off-color jokes and sexual dalliances.
Monti's comments came during a two-and-a-half-hour press conference in which the former economics professor and ex-European Union commissioner delivered a long-winded analysis of the financial situation, complete with bond charts.
The 68-year-old was dressed in a grey suit with a geometric-patterned tie.
Source: Agence France Presse
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