June 20, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 15, 1429

ROME: Italy’s highest appeals court ruled on Thursday that the country did not have jurisdiction to try a US soldier for killing a top Italian intelligence agent in Iraq in 2005, ANSA news agency reported.

The Court of Cassation threw out an appeal by the prosecution and civil parties to the case against a similar ruling by a lower court in October that Specialist Mario Lozano — who has already been cleared by US authorities — could not be tried in Italy.

Nicola Calipari, deputy director of Italian military intelligence, was shot dead near Baghdad airport in March 2005, shortly after he had freed Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena from kidnappers.

Calipari had shielded her during the hail of gunfire unleashed on their car from a US checkpoint.

Sgrena, who was seriously wounded, was also suing for damages.

—AFP