Reply #7: Italy puts pressure on Bush

[dzika]

March 12, 2005

Italy puts pressure on Bush

By Natasha Bita in Florence

ITALIAN prosecutors want US troops in Baghdad to hand over the car and satellite phones used by the secret agent killed by US soldiers while escorting a freed hostage to safety this week.


As Italy and the US launched inquiries into the attack on the hostage rescue mission, Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi wrote to his US counterpart, George W. Bush, insisting on "transparency" by US military officials investigating the attack.

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Rome and Washington have blamed each other for the death of Italian intelligence agent Nicola Calipari, who was shot dead by US forces in a hail of gunfire while shielding freed hostage Giuliana Sgrena as he escorted her to Baghdad airport last Saturday.

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Fearful the Italian anger over the killing might jeopardise Italy's commitment to keeping its 3000 troops in Iraq, Washington made an unprecedented offer on Wednesday to let an Italian diplomat and military officer take part in its military investigation of the affair in Baghdad.

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The Italian investigators have asked the US military to hand over the car used by Calipari, as well as the mobile phones and satellite phones they believe were taken by the US soldiers after the shooting.

The grey Toyota Corolla was due to be flown to Italy yesterday, L'Unita newspaper reported, but the Italian military plane sent to pick up the car returned empty.

Italy's public broadcaster, RAI, showed photographs of the car after the attack and reported that the US gunshots had been aimed at "passenger level". A US military spokesman had claimed the troops shot at the engine block.

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