Canberra, May 29: Australia's Prime Minister John Howard racked up such a large hotel bill during an official visit to Rome last year that the Italian government is balking at paying it, opposition lawmakers said yesterday.
Host governments normally pay accommodation expenses for heads of government visiting on official business.
``All of the indulgences that people expect of royal families in Europe and the Middle East now appear to be lavished on this Prime Minister,'' opposition labour lawmaker Wayne Swan said.
An official from the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Julie Yeend, told a senate committee hearing that the Italian government was offering to pay part only of the bill for the stay at Rome's St. Regis Grand Hotel last July.
But she rejected accusations that the hotel had been unnecessarily luxurious and said it was ``a standard of accommodation that has been given to all Prime Ministers.''



She did not elaborate on why Rome refused to pay the full expenses. Officials in Italy could not be immediately contacted because of the time difference.



Yeend told the committee that the four-day stay by Howard and four of his staff at the St. Regis Grand cost 60,000 Australian dollars. Of that a$ 42,680 was for Howard's room.



``The Italian government have not paid up because they were as shocked by the bill as we are,'' labour senator Robert Ray told the hearing.



Howard was in Rome for talks with Italy's Prime Minister. The trip was part of a two-week official European tour.


Bureau Report