US ambassador at Berlusconi's office to explain Iraq shootings

ROME - US Ambassador Mel Sembler arrived at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's offices late Friday after being called in to explain the friendly fire incident in Iraq in which US troops shot dead an Italian secret agent and wounded recently freed hostage Giulian Sgrena.
Earlier, Berlusconi said there were "disquieting questions" about the incident that Washington needed to answer.
Berlusconi said 50-year-old secret service officer Nicola Calipari had died trying to protect Sgrena from a hail of bullets when US soldiers opened fire at a coalition checkpoint near Baghdad airport.
Two other Italian agents had been wounded in the incident, Berlusconi said.
Sgrena had only shortly before been released from a month-long kidnap ordeal.
"It is a pity. This was a joyful moment which made all our co-citizens happy, which has been transformed into profound pain by the death of a person who behaved so bravely."

03/04/2005 22:15 GMT