Berlusconi "threatens" to nationalise Alitalia

Italian prime minister-elect Silvio Berlusconi said the Italian state could buy the rest of Alitalia that it does not already own if the European Commmission continued to "whine" about a loan to the airline.

"If they continue whining, we could take a decision in which Alitalia could be bought by the state, by the state railways," Berlusconi said. "It's a threat, not a decision."

However, a bid for Alitalia by an Italian consortium remained the top priority for the airline, he said.