Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini, after meeting with his American counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, said he is pleased with the U.S. effort to investigate the fatal shooting of an Italian agent by U.S. soldiers earlier this year. "I must say that I'm very happy with the type of cooperation which has been established ever since the beginning," Fini told reporters. Fini also said the probe must be completed before anyone draws any final conclusions, and cautioned against speculation. U.S. and Italian officials are conducting a joint investigation into the March 4 shooting that killed the agent Nicola Calipari and wounded an Italian journalist. Speaking through a translator, Fini said that "any hasty assessment or declaration before the outcome of the investigation" would be a product of "political polemics". U.S. soldiers opened fire on the vehicle carrying Calipari on a Baghdad road shortly after he had negotiated the release of Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena. Calipari died in the shooting while Sgrena recovered from her wounds. The Pentagon said the soldiers mistakenly opened fire on the vehicle which was travelling at a high speed and failed to yield to warnings by the soldiers. Rice also urged caution in reaching early conclusions about the incident and said the investigation is moving forward and the two countries are cooperating. "The most important thing is not that this be done fast but that it be done right, because we all want to have confidence in the findings of the investigation, once it is done," Rice said. The shooting sparked public outrage in Italy and caused friction between Washington and Rome.
