STOCKHOLM, Sweden: What started with a kiss in a Stockholm bar turned into an embarrassment for the Swedish government Thursday as the prime minister's senior aide stepped down, apologizing for a wine-soaked evening out with a TV journalist.
Ulrica Schenstrom, the top civil servant in the office of conservative Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, said in a statement she deeply regretted having "engaged in conversation with a journalist and drinking wine in that context."
Pictures published last week in Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet appeared to show Schenstrom drinking wine and joined in a kiss with a political reporter for the TV4 network on Oct. 23.
Critics initially questioned whether it was appropriate for government officials and journalists to meet under such circumstances. But attention soon turned to Schenstrom's alcohol intake given her central role in the government's response to a national or international emergency.
The previous government was harshly criticized for reacting slowly to the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people, including hundreds of Swedes vacationing in Thailand.
Reinfeldt, who initially defended his aide, said Thursday she had misled him about how much wine she had consumed on the night in question.
"I haven't counted glasses with her, but it was more than what had been described to me," he told reporters.
He also confirmed that Schenstrom had been on duty that night but noted that "nothing happened that affected anyone in Sweden."
The reporter, Anders Pihlblad, revealed he and Schenstrom had "a few glasses of wine," but did not specify exactly how much they had been drinking. He said the two were not in a relationship and described their actions as "silliness."
Schenstrom had not commented on the incident publicly until the announcement of her resignation.
Reinfeldt's center-right government was plagued by scandalous headlines immediately after taking office in October 2006, as two ministers were forced to resign after media reports revealed they had neglected their mandatory TV license fees and paid nannies under the table.
