Italy Foreign Minister Disputes U.S. Claim

[Warren Stupidity]

By ANGELA DOLAND, Associated Press Writer

ROME - Italy's foreign minister said Tuesday that the car carrying an intelligence officer who was killed by U.S. fire in Iraq (news - web sites) last week was not speeding up and did not receive indications to stop, as indicated by American authorities.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050308/ap_on_re_eu/italy_iraq_hostage&cid=518&ncid=1480

...

The car was traveling at a velocity that couldn't have been more than 40 kilometers (25 miles) per hour," Fini said. There were no attempts to stop the car, as indicated by the U.S. military, he added.

The Italian government is taking a very smart, cautious approach to this, they insist that 'of course it was an accident', but that they 'just want some questions answered'. This puts the US in a very difficult position. They now have to explain what actually happened and why they are lying.

It was an accident," Fini told lawmakers. "This does not prevent, in fact it makes it a duty for the government to demand that light be shed on the murky issues, that responsibilities be pinpointed, and, where found, that the culprits be punished."

[cal04]

1. Rift over Italian death deepens

(I certainly don't trust this guy or their govt., all contacts with US made, but her allegation groundless)

Italy's foreign minister has demanded the US "identify and punish" those responsible for the death of an Italian intelligence agent in Iraq.
Gianfranco Fini said the US and Italy had different versions of what happened to Nicola Calipari, who died under US fire while escorting a freed hostage.

The US says shots were fired because the vehicle was speeding and did not heed troops' warnings for it to stop. But Mr Fini said "all the necessary contacts" with the US had been made.
Mr Fini did however reject the allegation made by freed hostage Giuliana Sgrena that the car was deliberately targeted as "groundless".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4328551.stm

[Warren Stupidity]

2. the facts are coming out and our bullshit is exposed

The Italians are playing this just right. Calipari is an Italian hero. Answers will be had or Italy will be out of there. But we've already gone into cover up mode. What will bush do? So many problems.

I know! Terralert!

[GCP]

3. Read the messages on that board

People are un-frikkin-believeable.
If they'd been dragged out of the car and shot dead in front of a group of international judges, these people would still say the troops did the right thing.

[Domitan]

5. Tell me about it

Goes to show that BBC readers are not totally on the liberal side.

[Briar]

8. Readers of the BBC website come from all over the world

It's interesting to check out the nationalities of those who post...

[bemildred]

6. Moderated boards do work better. nt

[tsuki]

4. Attention Washington and Press Corp. Diplomatic language engaged.

[leesa]

7. Culprits punished?? We don't do that here. They WILL probably

get great promotions though

[mkiosk]

15. lovely

Simply amazing.

Here, everyone is giving this women credence before even considering what those soldiers went through.

I saw someone even blame Rumsfield.

Good heavens!

You run a checkpoint in a small japanese truck (huh? Betcha' didn't know that .. go read more) and you get fired upon. So endeth the lesson.

Some of you folks jumping to conclussions makes me wanna' wretch.

[tishaLA]

16. So sorry to disappoint you!

I do hope you can find a thread or a board that restores your hopes for humanity and keeps your love of Rumsfeld intact! So endeth the lesson.

[ElectroPrincess]

17. Yes, heaven forbid we blame Rummy who's done so well up to this point.

:puke:

FREEDOM ON THE MARCH!

Don't question the US State Department either USA Patriots - or else!

[daleo]

18. I suppose she was stealing bullets from those soldiers.

Such an ordeal they went through, the way she shamelessly took the bullets right out of their guns.

[SOS]

19. It was not a "small Japanese truck"

It was a small white sedan. Your "lessons" need a fact-checker.

[bobthedrummer]

9. There is no fucking way that we didn't know who was in that particular car

there were communications on the ride to the airport and the Italians shared that-that's why this must be investigated--I'd bet some of the shooters are already moved elsewhere.

[sr_pacifica]

10. The Investigation is already compromised

Since the very idea of a deliberate attack is has been called "absurd" by the WH and, now, Italy's foreign minister also ruling that possibility out. I am not convinced it was an accident, but this "investigation" is only going to approach it from that premise.

But as Fini said, even if this attack on the car was accidental, there is still culpability. Something is wrong when so many innocent people are killed at checkpoints. This is a high-profile case, but as anyone who is paying attention knows, many innocent people have been killed by U.S. troops at checkpoints.

[chlamor]

11. "Sgrena has the list of the bloody litany of crimes...."

Sgrena had the goods on them, the whole bloody litany of crimes perpetrated by the swaggering Texas psychopath and his Pentagon goons. Her interviews with Falluja's refugees put her in a position to spill the beans on Bush's murderous farce and splatter the headlines across Europe with the real picture of what is going on inside Iraq.

<snip>
And what was this "truth" that Sgrena would be publishing on her return to Europe? Would it be further confirmation that the United States had used mustard gas, nerve gas and other incendiary chemicals during their assault on Falluja as Iraq's Health Ministry has already claimed? Would she verify the reports of cluster-bombs and "melted bodies found in the city, where dogs, birds, plants and all forms of life were destroyed?" Would she prove that large areas in Falluja have been excavated; (and dumped in the dessert) removing the remnants of toxic weapons that saturated the soil?


http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m10208

[RuleofLaw]

12. I wonder if the Italians

are still mad over the ski lift incident some years ago, where a US military plane flew under the cables to a ski lift, cutting it and 20 people died. As far as i remember, the US investigation found that the Pilot did nothing wrong and no punishment was enforced. I think they blamed it on "faulty maps".

[davidinalameda]

13. Italy disputes U.S. shooting account

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/03/08/italy.sgrena/index.html

Italy's foreign minister has openly disputed the U.S. military's account of the shooting death of an Italian intelligence agent in Iraq.

Gianfranco Fini ruled out suggestions that U.S. forces might have deliberately targeted the Italians, but he told parliament Tuesday there were discrepancies between Italian and U.S. accounts.

Fini restated Rome's demand for a full explanation from the Americans, putting fresh pressure on Washington.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

14. Bye, Italians!

Jesus, can't we even PRETEND we take responsibility? What a bunch of assholes are running our country!

[nolabels]

20. The only thing that was accident as it appears to me........

Is they didn't get the person who they were really gunning after :nopity:

Nothing is more grueling than an Italian funeral to get people angry, topping it off with full state honors.
It's all about collation building :shrug:

ITALY: Outrage as Italian shot by US troops in Baghdad laid to rest

Italian intelligence agent shot by US forces while protecting freed journalist

South China Morning Post
Tuesday, March 8, 2005

Italy paid homage yesterday to an intelligence officer killed in Iraq by US forces, giving him a full state funeral amid anger over how he died protecting a freed Italian hostage.

Among the mourners was Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is struggling to reconcile his fervent pro-US policies with demands for the truth from Washington over the shooting.

Hundreds of Italians lined Rome's streets as Nicola Calipari's body was driven to an imposing basilica for the funeral service. Soldiers provided a guard of honour and crowds broke into applause as the coffin, draped in the Italian flag, was carried into the church.

Calipari died from a bullet to the head as he threw himself over journalist Giuliana Sgrena when US forces opened fire on their vehicle outside Baghdad airport on Friday.
(snip)
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=21521

Gee what a surpise, one day out of the box and they are trying to bury this story. Such nice people