WASHINGTON, May 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States said on Thursday that it and Italy are still allies even though there are different explanations over the Baghdad shooting incident by US soldiers that killed an Italian agent.

    "What's been quite clear and consistent throughout, whether it's the original statements that we made or the phone calls between the secretary and the foreign minister and the president and PrimeMinister Berlusconi and now the statement that Prime Minister (Silvio) Berlusconi himself gave, is that the United States and Italy are allies in a very important cause," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a briefing.

    "We're both committed to that cause. We're both dedicated to it.And we're both going to continue to help the Iraqi people achieve their freedom," Boucher said.

    "So I'm sure there will be discussion of this particular incident. But in terms of the cooperation between the United States and Italy, I think it's been very clear throughout that will continue," he said.

    US President George W. Bush called Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday over the shooting in Baghdad that killed the Italian agent Nicolas Calipari.

    On March 4, Calipari was killed by American soldiers as he was accompanying a newly freed Italian hostage outside the Baghdad airport.

    After investigations, the United States report absolved US soldiers of responsibility in the shooting and said the Italians' car was traveling too fast. The Italian report said the accident was caused by the inexperience and stress of the US soldiers. Enditem