BBC: "Italy disputes US hostage account"

[Bluebear]

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said the car carrying an Italian agent killed by US fire had stopped as soon as it was signalled.

His statement contradicts US accounts of the incident in Iraq in which Nicola Calipari was shot taking freed hostage Giuliana Sgrena to Baghdad airport. Mr Berlusconi said the US must accept responsibility to restore relations.

He said his government had demanded "maximum co-operation" from the US, and a joint inquiry had been promised....

"This reconstruction of events has been made according to what has been witnessed by another agent who was with Mr Calipari and does not coincide totally with what has been communicated so far by the US authorities."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4333839.stm

[Bluebear]

1. morning shift kick

[peekaloo]

2. I thought Sergio (I swear Bu$h called him this once)

had acquiesced to Herr Boo$h and had bedded down with the dogs on this one. Is he trying to keep the Italian streets clear of protesters?

Two little Hitlers will fight it out until, one little Hitler does the other ones' will.

[DU_ONE]

3. The Real Unspoken issue in all this is . . .

Whether Italy will pull its troops out or leave them in?

Every thing else is just a sound bite.

[Straight Shooter]

4. Berlusconi will not pull out the troops.

However, he is in serious danger of being politically cuckolded by the American chimp, and he knows it.

[Frederik]

5. Regional elections

in Italy in a couple of months. That must be a consideration.