Berlusconi denies allegations

Speaking to reporters in his office in Rome on Thursday, the 72-year-old repeated previous denials of having an affair with Noemi Letizia. The Italian premier said that if someone asked if he had "a spicy or more than spicy" relationship with a minor, his answer would be "absolutely not."

The age of consent for sex in Italy is 16 but people under 18 are considered minors.

Berlusconi added that if he lied about the relationship he would have to resign.

"I swore this on the heads of my children and I said I am aware that, should I have committed perjury, I would have to resign a minute later," he said.

Controversy triggered by divorce plea

Italy's media reported last month that Berlusconi attended the 18th birthday party of model Noemi Letizia in Naples and gave her an expensive necklace.

The incident sparked political controversy after Berlusconi's wife, Veronica Lario, cited the episode when she announced earlier this month that she would divorce the conservative premier. She criticized her husband for attending the party and for spending the night at a Naples disco celebrating Letizia's birthday.

Berlusconi has denied any wrongdoing and insists that he met Letizia through her parents whom he has known for many years. He said he stopped by the party because he happened to be in Naples that day.

Berlusconi's children furious

The scandal comes as Berlusconi's center-right People of Freedom (PDL) party is campaigning for next month's European Parliament elections. Berlusconi has said the allegations are part of a political smear campaign against him. The media magnate has promised to explain his behavior in parliament but has not yet set a date.

Italy's opposition has seized on the affair and demanded clarification.

On Thursday, Berlusconi's children reacted angrily to a comment made by center-left leader Dario Franceschini on the campaign trail this week.

"Italian men and women, would you have Berlusconi raise your children?" Franceschini asked.

"Angry? I am indignant. Furious. No, this is enough," Marina Berlusconi, the Italian premier's daughter from his first marriage, told newspaper Corriere della Sera.

"This time, I don't intend to stay silent… My father has always worked a lot, but there has never been a time, a single time, in which I did not have him near when I needed him," the 42-year-old said.

sp/AP/Reuters/AFP

Editor: Susan Houlton