US and Italian officials disagreed on the conclusions of a joint investigation into the killing of an Italian agent shot dead by US soldiers in Iraq, the two countries said statement today.
"The investigators did not arrive at shared final conclusions even though, after examining jointly the evidence, they did agree on facts, findings and recommendations on numerous issues," the United States and Italy said in a joint statement issued by the US State Department.
US troops killed Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari on March 4 when they opened fire on a car heading for Baghdad airport in which he was escorting Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who had just been released by kidnappers.
According to preliminary findings leaked in Washington this week that were widely seen in Italy as an insult, US soldiers followed their rules of engagement and should face no charges of dereliction of duty over the incident.
The joint statement said that the investigation was now complete, but gave no details on its findings and said Italian and US officials would report to their respective governments about it.
The friendly fire incident has caused tension between the United States and Italy, one of Washington's staunchest allies in Iraq. Calipari, hailed as an Italian national hero, was fatally wounded as he threw his body over Sgrena to protect her from a hail of bullets.