Italy is facing the global economic crisis better than most countries and stands more of a chance of dealing with it, Premier Silvio Berlusconi said on Monday.
In an interview with the Russian news agency Ria Novosti ahead of a visit to Russia on April 6, Berlusconi said that ''compared to other countries Italy is in a far less difficult condition and has a better chance of overcoming the crisis''.
The premier said this was ''thanks to the reliability of Italy's bank system and the tendency of Italians to save''.
The premier has repeatedly voiced his confidence in the Italian economy and in its ability to cope with the economic downturn.
Speaking in Milan earlier this month he said the crisis was ''particularly serious'' but could be weathered if businessmen and consumers remain confident.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new headquarters of the American networking and communications technology company Cisco Business Systems, Berlusconi said that although the crisis ''appears to be particularly serious'' its duration ''depends on our reaction''.
He reassured Italians, saying the government would step in to ''help more unfortunate citizens'', and recalling that Italy's ''banking system is the most solid in Europe''.
Last week he told Italians they could beat the crisis if they have confidence and work harder.
He said the economic crisis had originated in the United States, comparing it to a strain ''of the flu, the US flu''.
The premier first made the 'flu' analogy on the sidelines of a midterm European Council meeting in Brussels two weeks ago.
''Italy is a healthy body attacked by a virus'', the premier told reporters stressing that it could not ''be blamed'' for the situation.
Berlusconi has also accused the media of exaggerating the consequences of the crisis.
''There is no doubt there's a crisis, but the media is making it much more dramatic than it really is. One need only look at the fact that the plunge on stock markets has been caused by (the performance of) only a handful of stocks,'' Berlusconi said.
