Italy's foreign minister said today the killing of an Italian agent in Iraq by US forces had been a tragic accident - but that Rome did not believe the US military's version of events.
Intelligence agent Nicola Calipari has been hailed as a hero in Italy after he died last Friday while shielding a newly freed Italian hostage from US gunfire as they were approaching Baghdad airport in a car.
Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini told parliament that assertions by the US military that the Italians had been speeding and had failed to heed a warning to stop did not tally with information he had received.
He called on the US military to investigate the shooting fully and punish any soldiers found guilty of wrongdoing.