Italy's Berlusconi says has never put a veto on 5-Star

Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi speaks following a talk with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale palace in Rome, Italy, April 12, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi

ROME (Reuters) - Conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi said on Wednesday he had never ruled out the possibility of governing with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, which is refusing to enter a coalition with him. Berlusconi was speaking after holding talks with the head of the upper house Senate, who has been tasked with trying to break weeks of deadlock following an inconclusive March 4 election. However, an initial round of discussions appeared to go nowhere, with the 5-Star sticking to its line that it was willing to govern with the far-right League but not its electoral partners. Berlusconi rejected suggestions that he too was imposing vetoes or conditions on the coalition talks. (Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Gavin Jones)