Faulty fax gives out details of Blair visit

ROME (Reuters) - Details of Prime Minister Tony Blair's forthcoming holiday in Italy were inadvertently sent to media outlets thanks to a malfunctioning fax, officials in the Tuscan city of Siena have said.


A top official at Siena police headquarters said on Tuesday the release of the five-page fax was a mistake, not a security breach.


"There is no question of Mr Blair having to change his programme," said the official, who declined to be named.


The Blair family is due to arrive in Italy on August 12 for a two-week stay at the Tuscan estate of Prince Girolamo Guicciardini Strozzi, near the Tuscan town of San Gimignano.


However, Tuesday's fax said Blair would skip the start of the holiday to attend the opening of the Olympic Games in Athens on August 13, according to Ansa news agency.


"These dates have not yet been confirmed. This is only a provisional programme," said the Siena official.


The document was originally sent to police chiefs at the weekend. But the communique lodged in the memory of the fax at local police headquarters and was sent out to various media numbers on Tuesday.


The Blairs' visit coincides with heightened security fears across Italy following numerous threats from Muslim militants.


The Interior Ministry has sent a letter to security chiefs around Italy urging them to be on maximum alert this coming weekend -- which is the deadline set by Muslim extremists for Italy to pull its forces out of Iraq or face attacks.


The Blairs used to be regular visitors to Italy, but they have not come since 2000 and their forthcoming stay has received widespread coverage in both the Italian and British media.


Briefly interrupting their Tuscan stay, Blair and his wife are due to fly to Sardinia on August 16-17 to stay with Silvio Berlusconi at the Italian prime minister's luxurious Mediterranean villa.


Berlusconi has built a replica Greek theatre in the grounds of his Sardinian estate and plans to inaugurate the amphitheatre with a gala evening for the Blairs.