German President Christian Wulff apologised on prime-time television Wednesday for a call last month to the nation's biggest newspaper, Bild, asking it not to print a story about nondisclosure of loans for his private home. Controversy has swirled around Wulff for three weeks and threatens to hurt Chancellor Angela Merkel, who nominated him, and distract her from attempts to extinguish the smouldering eurozone debt crisis.
"I know that I have done nothing illegal, but not everything I did was right," he told two interviewers from public TV channels. "The call to the editor of Bild was a serious mistake. I am sorry for it." Wulff said he had been elected in 2010 for five years and intended to serve out his full term and be a "good, successful president."
The interview, with its mixture of contriteness and assertiveness, appeared aimed at winning back public support. Over the past three weeks, the media have roasted Wulff with more gusto than opposition parties, which have been edgy about ridiculing the head of state. The president said the December 12 call to Bild was aimed at delaying publication of the report until he had returned from a trip to the Gulf and could respond to it, not to squash it. It was motivated by a desire to protect his family from negative news, he said. "That's not an excuse ... but the impulse that led to it is human. However, as president, you should control yourself so such things don't happen, but still: I'm human," said Wulff, who appeared confident and poised during the interview.
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