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The War on Terror & friendly Fire : Interview
The decision by Mr Prodi to honour the public will of the Italian people and withdraw the Italian presence in Iraq, and also to describe the war as "illegal" and a "mistake" has allowed Italians to give more attention to the manipulation of information during the Berlusconi years and return to the causes of Italian casualties & hostages during the Iraq war. The most senior officer of the Italian forces to be killed was Nicola Calipari of the Italian secret service who was shot by the US army.
on the 4th of March 2004, after one month spent in captivity, Giuliana Sgrena a journalist of the italian newspaper "il Manifesto" was released after negotiations had been opened by Calipari and brought to "safety". Their route had been communicated to their US coalition partners before hand. It is important to remember that the murder of Calipari and his subsequent state funeral prompted Berlusconi to first suggest the withdrawl of troops, but unconstitutionally, as he made the offer through his own TV station & not in parliament. Giuliana Sgrena has now published a book on her experiences & granted an interview, which I am reproducing in english translation here.
 The Italian Secret Service Car had 58 "lethal shots" one is circled. I have added background information in italic script after each of Giuliana Sgrena's answers.
____________________________________________________________________________
in response to the question "why did they kidnap you if you had spent months writing on the suffering of the Iraqis?"
I ask myself the same question, they confessed to me that when they kidnapped me they only knew I was Italian and a journalist, but knew nothing of my work. They told me I was much more dangerous than my colleagues who stayed in the Hotel and only worked from there. They told me I spoke to people, and they were worried I knew things "I ought not know".
the Hotel referred to is the Palestine Hotel, 13 months before the US had fired on it killing members of the press corp and spanish journalists, Spain is still seeking extradition of captain Philip Wolford lieutenant colonel Philip de Camp all of the the 64th armoured regiment of the 3rd division of infantry. C/f http://indymedia.ie/article/70167
in response to the question "Is it possible to recover from an experience such as yours?
I am trying. But I can not get Nicola Calipari out of my mind.
Sgrena is now grey haired and suffers ticks and her speech has slowed.
in response to the question "How was the incident?"
We were travelling in the car, Nicola Calipari the driver and I. We were heading for the airport. With only 700 metres to go, a US patrol began to fire at us, killing Calipari and wounding me. They were there, they said because the US ambassador to Iraq John Negreponte had to pass by the same road and they maintian we were travelling too fast, but that is not certain. Negreponte had already arrived at the airport and they knew that and we had advised [the US forces] several times that we would pass that point.
John Negreponte had served as US ambassador to Honduras and was implicated in death squads. He was chosen by Bush to occupy a new position of White House co-ordinator of the 16 US secret services later that year.
in response to the statement " you have not discounted that you were in fact a target of friendly fire"
Thats something said by others, but I am sure it wasn't an accident. They fired on us deliberately and I want an explanation. There are many flaws in their version, the Italian inquiry states they fired a total of 58 lethal shots.
the inquiry was steeped in white wash and conflicting versions emerged that very weekend
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4323361.stm
http://rai.it/news/articolornews24/0,9219,4120662,00.html
http://rai.it/news/articolornews24/0,9219,4120660,00.html the full Us report can be read at Swiss indymedia in pdf http://ch.indymedia.org/media/2005/05/32228.pdf or here
in html: http://213.160.111.174/unclassified.htm
or in .doc http://www.corriere.it/Media/Documenti/Unclassified.doc
in response to the question "how do you see the future of Iraq?"
I don't see any future for Iraq if foreign troops do not leave, I've gone many times since the war began, and every time I see deterioration. Foreign troops only exacerbate the situation.
This is the main theme of her book :- "Friendly Fire". goto the library.
in response to the question "are you not worried Iraq will descend into civil war?"
There has been civil war in Iraq for two years. One can not say what will blow up if all troops withdraw. There would be no motive for the resistance, because they fight against the occupiers.... There is only a future for Iraq if foreign troops leave.
in response to the question "is it possible to report on Iraq?"
It is not possible now....
____________________________________________________________________________
The incident of "friendly fire" was not the only alledged against the US forces in Iraq.
Bulgaria also raised questions of armed action against servicemen and journalists
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/swissinfo.html?siteSect=14...82811
more background information
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/swissinfo.html?siteSect=14...80092
the french asked at the time "with friends like this who needs enemies?"
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3210,36-400565,0.html
http://libe.com/page.php?Article=280211
it is also worth considering the kidnapping of Italian human rights activists later in 2004 http://www.indymedia.ie/article/66498
very interesting trivial & historic fact :-
Barcelona, Italian and Irish indymedia suffered server problems in the real time of this story. As Calipari was given his state funeral, the Italian state under Berlusconi made one of its 4 attempts to close italian indymedia. They failed. no-one closes indymedia.
There are certain reproduction rights attached to this english translation, which is the first english version to appear in either cyber or print media.
if you wish reproduce it contact me at ipsiphi@swissinfo.org
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news report
Monday May 22, 2006 22:10
by iosaf
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Comments (7 of 7)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Calipari was not murdered.
His death was due to a tragic failure of communication between Italian and American intelligence agencies.
Calipari was sent in especially by the Italian government to secure the release of Giuliana Sgrena independently of American forces because naturally enough most nationws seek their own citizens interests irrespective of international nicities.
Higher echelons of the American forces knew that Sgrena was released perhaps after a ransom was paid. The Italians wanted to get Sgrena out of Iraq pronto therefore she was raced by car to the airport.
Unfortunately the US troops manning the various security cordons along the route were not informed.
US troops face lethal threats from IED's planted at roadsides, ambushes by insurgents who disappear again into the civilian population and in particular suicide carbombings at checkpoints.
Terrorists have been known to accelerate toward checkpoints despite warning shots and exploded themselves killing US personnel.
The car carrying the unfortunate Mr Calipari was mistaken by uninformed US troops for an insurgency attack and was opened fire upon.
That's what happened.
A brave man died by "friendly fire."
said phased-pull out of UK & US troops will begin July.
["a phased pullout in which the two countries will act in tandem, Britain is to begin with a handover to Iraqi security forces in Muthanna province in July and the Americans will follow suit in Najaf, the Shia holy city.
Other withdrawals will quickly follow over the remainder of the year. Officials in both administrations hope that Britain's 8,000 forces in Iraq can be down to 5,000 by the end of the year and that the American forces will be reduced from 133,000 to about 100,000."]
If you do the soft math, you will see this is not a "pull-out" :: it is a proposed "reduction" of 38,000 troops. I would really like to read "rightous pragmatist" [our regular pro-US commentator who gave us the last comment & exonorates so eloquently all actions by "the agents of the free" ] explain the firing of Tank Shells at the Palestine Hotel on the 8th of April 2003.
It is not the first time a European court has attempted to bring CIA or US service personel to the dock.
& this case has really gone rotten on the evidence and trail side. Pollari the ex-spy chief tried to peddle forged data on Iraqi WMD purchases & has long been at the focus of the quasi-nazi-dodgey-masonic-cia-mafia-soviet-brit-pope-church-mesh which believe it or not - one does find in Rome . & I have the decency to tell you that much.
the british report -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6368269.stm
Normal mortal Italians without lizard blood are today out on the road protesting NATO/OTAN bases. http://www.unita.it/view.asp?IDcontent=63680 The continentals spell NATO backwards. Sure they're all leonardo da vinci. Ireland should leave NATO too....take the lead walk Europe out of this crap.... Is it all about "presidential executive orders"? the stick & the carrot? tit for tat? caesar's quid pro quo?
.:.Lots of people have gone under the bridge
but not many crossed the rubicon.:.
"it is not a revindication of international law in Europe"
Romani Prodi has resigned his job as prime minister and gone to the 11th President of the Italian republic to make it official making him very different from his predecessor Berlusconi who used to say he was going to resign on his own telly station.
His resignation came after an exceptionally tense vote in the Senate on troop deployment in Afghanistan. But Prodi has been under extreme pressure for some time now. Indeed most of his 9 month government has been difficult. He has however overseen a decision to withdraw Italian troops from Iraq, seen the Mafia (traditional rulers of Italy) Corleone boss arrested - and of course do deals with the USA to expand their military base. )Read the last comment)
at this link you will see a video of Mr Prodi arrive at the President's place to resign
http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&ar...lng=1
There are several other coalition options possible in the Italian state, and the president can now instruct them to be very italian and cobble governments together for a few weeks at a time - Or go to the electorate and ask them to vote.
The issues of the expanding US airbase and Afghani deployment will most probably overshadow any deep political probing into the web of lies whose threads almost became noticeable last week with the decision to charge 26 US citizens and CIA agents along with 6 Italians and 1 ex-Italian secret service boss with unlawful kidnapping and a rendition case. (read last comment)
and of course this list of flights from Afghanistan which touched on the ex-ISS boss and Ireland
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/79925
Prodi last year announcing Italian withdrawl from Iraq. But the USAF and Afghanistan still finished him.
& we shouldn't be surprised that the USA refused to surrender any of its employees, soldiers, ex CIA station chiefs, ghouls, spooks or such like to face trial. "That would be asking too much".
This morning though comes the news that whole trial is to be blocked - the Italian government asking the constitutional court to do that for them. I suppose it's national security & horse trading - usually is. http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/03/16/italy.cia/in...ories
The only trial worth watching in Italy now is that of Berlusconi (the Swiss at the last moment have allowed for evidence from their banks to be used) only one snag - one of Berlusconi's last acts was to reduce the statute of limitation for corruption cases of the type he didn't turn up in court for yesterday.
They have less than 12 months to get him to jail. If you're a billionaire - let's pretend you are the richest man in Italy and one of the richest in Europe - you get as I always say - "towerblocks of lawyers". But you don't do this to make things quicker - oh no - you do this to slow everything down......till we all forget about it.
you can find more information on the latest berlusconi corruption case at this thread
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/72314
and above you'll read a very thought provoking interview & in the subsequent comments learn about Pollaris and the Italian secret service. Of course an inquiring mind will come up with questions - I'm sorry we're out of time to deal with those.
He's just been arrested today in Sao Paolo Brazil. You won't remember because he has't had any movies & other than all that franco-italian diplomatic fuss about him being "asylum worthy - exile - fugitive" it appears his era of terrorism is not beyond the statutes of limitation.
http://www.unita.it/view.asp?idContent=64467 He was one of the PAC (a communist terrorist grouping not the french civil contract but not marriage for LGBT people. still - same Parisian court ruled on both this week.) He had since become a writer - and sold books to people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Battisti_%28activist%29
I'd love to be the one who could explain Italian terrorism of both little group and state, mafia & spook to ye. But I'm too lazy, and that vice has contrived to keep me from writing my way out obscure security on these issues.
It's like really dangerous stuff. If 'you don't believe me scroll up this page & look at that car. Think about the bridge and all those that went underneath it, ponder the abscene of italy indymedia, sure not even popes are safe in Rome. The people at the next link & those who have had no connection with it other than having their cry in the eternal darkness of that most wicked city on 7 hills, want us all to wonder -
who was it? & who is it?
they're called "invisibles" they want historical memory & justice.
http://www.reti-invisibili.net/ for these almost all the victims of terror in Italian history - because as this article began the Italian people had an opportunity to explore the iniquity of thier wouldbe masters. Iraq isn't over - Afghanistan's just begun. But one of the most challenging problems for anyone interested in rights, justice or democratic evolution - really has to be "Italy's problem". which is almost always Rome's problem too - most Irish people were named in its religion.
in my blog of the past weeks I had mused a little on the basilisk of Berlusconi and Milan - hey look a bad bastard's tiling can last a thousand years & if you look carefully he stills there and looks exactly the same http://iosaf.allotherplaces.org/?p=171 I had read a bit of Juvenal's satire & a horrible exchange which flashes past the reader in just two quatrains : as a wife demands her slave crucified and the husband with temerity suggests he have a trial - hte right to be innocent so only as to be damned by the judge - bt she can't think him a man & to prove he is a man - she gets her way.
2,000 years ago, 1,000 years ago, 500 years ago, 30 years ago, 6 years ago, 48months ago, my last comments - like who may explain Italy's terror to us & get the timespan thing? Only one thing remains - now that I have as svengali jedi dude continued to reiterate to ye all " to clear steer of Italy's problems for the moment - if you have the choice". the things we do not speak about don't look good. They're waking up again. Coming out to feed. sin é. the nemo squad again
sin 'e!
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronologia_delle_vittime_i...uerra
The recent 'Left Curve' Magazine:- http://www.leftcurve.org
included a section reclaiming the art and poetry of the murdered Pier Pasolini
(wiki has a cache of pages on the film-maker, the 'Pasolini Requeim' produced
for the thirtieth anniversary of his death has been deleted on wiki)
other info and set of interviews are available at:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pier_paolo_pasolini
http://www.leftcurve.org
What the Wolves do. (RIP Pasolini)