Italy upset at clown comments BERLIN: The President of Italy cancelled a dinner with Peer Steinbruck, Chancellor Angela Merkel's challenger in September's German elections, after Mr Steinbruck referred to two Italian political figures as "clowns." Mr Steinbruck, the candidate for the Social Democratic Party, made the comments at an event in Potsdam on Tuesday that was part of a nationwide tour for his own campaign, said his spokesman, Michael Donnermeyer. During the event, Mr Steinbruck described the former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi as "a clown with a special shot of testosterone." At another point he extended his remarks to include Beppe Grillo, the former comedian whose Five Star Movement won more votes than any other party in the weekend Italian elections, saying that "to a certain extent, I am upset that two clowns have won." German leaders have not sought to hide their dislike for Mr Berlusconi, who they say dragged Italy into the eurozone debt crisis. Before the Italian vote, several allies of Dr Merkel made clear that they supported Prime Minister Mario Monti and his program in Italy. But Mr Steinbruck's comments appeared to hit a nerve with the President, Giorgio Napolitano, who is overseeing negotiations to form a government after the Italian vote failed to produce a clear majority in both houses of parliament. "We deeply respect Germany for its successes," Mr Napolitano said in Munich. Germany was capable of resurrecting from its own ruins and rebuilding a new Europe together with Italy. We respect but naturally we demand respect for our own country. He was scheduled to meet Dr Merkel in Berlin on Thursday. Mr Berlusconi and Mr Grillo were critical of Dr Merkel in their election campaigns, blaming the German government for having pushed Italy to enact painful economic austerity under Mr Monti's government. Earlier, Mr Grillo rejected a call by the Democratic Party leader, Pier Luigi Bersani, to back a coalition.