Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi made his return to the international scene on Tuesday at an international summit on the current global food crisis held in Rome.
Berlusconi, who became premier for the third time last month, chaired the first session of the three-day summit being held at the Rome headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The meeting offered the premier an occasion to mend fences with Spanish Prime Minister Jose' Luis Zapatero following a recent clash between Rome and Madrid over the Italian government's plans to crack down on illegal immigration by making it a criminal offense.
''When we met we immediately made it clear that there had been no problem between us. Not only are the nations of Italy and Spain friends, but their leaders are also friends,'' Berlusconi said after speaking with Zapatero on the sidelines of the summit.
Zapatero agreed and thanked Berlusconi for explaining to him Rome intensions regarding illegal immigration, a topic which he said Italy and Spain will work together on within the framework of the European Union.
''Every country has its own situations but all members of the EU must work together. That goes for Spain as well as Italy,'' he said.
The Spanish leader also clarified that neither he nor any member of his government had accused Italy of being xenophobic.
Berlusconi is slated to hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the FAO summit and on Tuesday night will host a dinner for the heads of state or government attending the summit.
These include Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Brazil's Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Algeria's Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
