Italy Won't Pull Troops From Iraq

Premier Says Despite Agent's Shooting, Italy Still Supports U.S.

(CBS/AP)  Premier Silvio Berlusconi told Parliament Thursday he disagreed with some of the U.S. military's conclusions into the March shooting death of an Italian agent in Baghdad, but insisted those differences won't affect Italy's friendship with Washington or the deployment of Italian troops in Iraq.

Days after Rome and Washington issued rival reports into the death of Nicola Calipari, Berlusconi tried to strike a balancing act: Easing any tension with the administration of President Bush while defending the dignity of his country before a powerful ally.

"Our friendship with the United States has overcome more difficult tests than this one," the premier said. "We have no intention of establishing any connection between the assessment of the case in which our official lost his life and the role of our country in Iraq."

Berlusconi said the friendship of the two countries is sincere, loyal and not one of subordination, reports CBS News Correspondent Sabina Castelfranco.

Calipari was shot at a checkpoint near Baghdad airport on March 4 less than an hour after he secured the release of Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who had been in the hands of her abductors for a month. Sgrena and another intelligence agent in the vehicle were wounded.

The U.S. report into the death cleared the soldiers of any blame. It said the car was speeding, didn't heed warning lights and shots, and said better coordination between the Italians and Americans could have prevented the tragedy.

But Berlusconi said that although U.S. soldiers didn't shoot deliberately that doesn't mean there was no blame, reports Castelfranco. He said Italian magistrates will continue their inquiry.

"Indeed, the lack of deliberate action doesn't rule out blame attributable to negligence, imprudence or even simple incompetence," he told lawmakers.

At Rome's insistence, Italian investigators were allowed to join the U.S. probe, but the two sides failed to agree on conclusions.