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M. Continuo

Bersani-Berlusconi meeting was "good" - centre-left official


    ROME (Reuters) - A meeting between centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani and his centre-right rival Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday to discuss how to break Italy's political deadlock went well but much more progress is needed, a centre-left official said.

    "It was a good meeting but it is just the beginning," Enrico Letta, deputy leader of Bersani's Democratic Party told reporters on his way to a news conference.

    Bersani won a lower house majority in February elections but fell short of the Senate majority which would have allowed him to govern. He has so far refused Berlusconi's demands for a "grand coalition" between the rival forces.

    (Reporting By Steve Scherer, writing by Catherine Hornby)