World

U.S. Clears GIs In Italian Death

April 30, 2005 / 12:53 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A U.S. Army investigation concluded American soldiers were not at fault in the death of an Italian agent in Iraq and recommended no disciplinary action, according to a report released Saturday.

The Italian government announced Friday it was not signing off on the U.S. reconstruction of events; Italy has launched a criminal inquiry into Calipari's death.

"This was a tragic accident," investigating officer Brig. Gen. Peter Vangjel said in a statement expressing "deepest sympathies" to the agent's family.

Nicola Calipari was mistakenly shot on March 4 soon after he had secured the release of Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena from Iraqi militants who had held her hostage for a month. U.S. soldiers fired on the Italians' vehicle as it approached a U.S. checkpoint near Baghdad's airport. Sgrena and another Italian agent were wounded.

The U.S. investigation concluded that the vehicle had failed to reduce speed as it approached the checkpoint and said the soldiers who fired at it acted in accordance with the rules of engagement.

U.S. and Italian experts had worked for over a month on a joint investigation into the killing, which sparked outrage in Italy and irritated relations with Washington. But from the start, testimony from the two survivors clashed with the U.S. military's account.

The Americans maintain that soldiers fired warning shots in the air, then shot at the engine block because the car was speeding. The survivors insist they saw the beam of a warning light virtually at the same time gunfire broke out. The surviving intelligence agent has also testified he was driving slowly.

For days it was clear Italy and the U.S. were struggling to find an agreement, but they weren't able to reach a shared position, reports CBS News Correspondent Sabina Castelfranco.

Berlusconi is now likely to come under even more pressure to withdraw the estimated 3,000 Italian troops from Iraq. The prime minister made clear this week Italy would not sign the report on the investigation if it was not convinced with the findings.