Italian Prosecutors Seek Extradition of 22 Alleged CIA Operatives

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http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBII1T8XFE.html

ROME (AP) - Italian prosecutors have requested the extradition of 22 purported CIA operatives in the alleged kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in 2003, prosecutors said Friday.

The request was sent to Italy's Justice Ministry in Rome, which will decide whether to pass it on to the United States.

Justice Minister Roberto Castelli returned Friday from Washington, where he held talks with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on "cross-border investigations and extradition cases of mutual interest for the two countries," a ministry statement said.

It did not specify whether they took up the CIA case, which has strained relations between the two allies.

A U.S. Justice Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the United States had not received a formal extradition request, but that the subject had come up during the meeting between Castelli and Gonzales.