Italian Journalist Held Hostage in Iraq Returns to Rome
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=C0594D:2F72C9DItalians demand to know why US forces shot at Giuliana Sgrena's
car in Baghdad
Giuliana Sgrena is helped from the plane which took her from
Baghdad to Rome Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who was held
hostage in Iraq for a month, returned home Saturday, and was taken to
a military hospital in Rome, as Italians demanded to know why U.S.
forces shot at her car in Baghdad. The journalist was wounded and a
security officer in the car with her was killed.
Looking exhausted, but happy to be home, Giuliana Sgrena and an
injured security officer stepped off an Italian military plane from
Baghdad, and were taken immediately to Rome's military hospital.
Ms. Sgrena came out of the plane in pain, and walking with great
difficulty. Relatives and medical staff helped her down the plane's
stairs and into a waiting ambulance.
In the hospital, she was visited by the widow of the man who helped
negotiate her release from Iraqi insurgents, and then apparently saved
her life when the car came under fire, intelligence officer Nicola
Calipari.
Ms. Sgrena told Italian media that when U.S. forces opened fire on the
car as it approached Baghdad airport, Mr. Calipari threw himself on
top of her. He was killed as hundreds of bullets riddled the car. She
was wounded in the shoulder.
Italians are now demanding to know exactly what happened. The
journalist's partner, Pierre Scolari, who traveled to Baghdad to
escort her back to Italy, says both U.S. and Italian forces were aware
that she had been released from captivity and that her car would be
passing through checkpoints.
Mr. Scolari said they were 700 meters from the airport and had already
passed some U.S.-manned checkpoints.
U.S. forces said they tried to warn the driver to stop, and opened
fire when it failed to do so. They said they had not been alerted to
its passage.
The happiness over Ms. Sgrena's release after one month in captivity
turned into despair over the death of one of Italy's top intelligence
officials. A state funeral is scheduled for Monday.
In a telephone call during the night, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
was assured by U.S. President Bush that a full investigation into the
incident would take place.
But Italy's center-left opposition stepped up political pressure on
the government, saying what happened was a very serious incident.
Communist leader Fausto Bertinotti said, "war allows occupation forces
to shoot at any time against anyone, even against those trying to save
a human life. Shooting takes place every day, and there is only one
thing to do, and that is to end this war."
But the Italian government is unlikely to change its policies in Iraq
or withdraw its 3,000-strong contingent in the country. Foreign
Minister Gianfranco Fini said the incident would not harm relations
between Italy and the United States.