BOLOGNA, Italy — Italy's justice minister urged former hostage Giuliana Sgrena yesterday to stop making "careless" accusations after being shot by U.S. forces in Baghdad.

Sgrena has repeatedly suggested U.S. soldiers shot her on purpose shortly after she was released. She said yesterday that she had little faith in a joint investigation by Italy and the United States into the "friendly fire" incident that left an Italian intelligence agent dead.

"She has created enormous problems for the government and also caused grief that perhaps was better avoided," Justice Minister Roberto Castelli said.

"Sgrena, I think, should perhaps be more careful. She has said a load of nonsense, speaks somewhat carelessly and makes careless comments," he said.

Kurd will be named president of council

BAGHDAD — Shiite Arab and Kurdish politicians announced yesterday they had overcome a major stumbling block to forming a new coalition government, agreeing that the three-member Presidency Council would include Jalal Talabani as Iraq's first Kurdish president and a Sunni and Shiite Arab for the two vice president posts.

Names were not announced for the vice presidential posts, and Ali al-Dabagh of the Shiite clergy-backed United Iraqi Alliance said differences remain over the future deployment of non-Kurdish Iraqi army units in Kurdish parts of northern Iraq.

ALSO

Fearful of another attack, family members and politicians agreed that no joint funeral would be held for the more than 50 people killed Thursday in a suicide car bombing of a Shiite funeral in Mosul. Instead, families will hold private funerals across the city, and the Al-Sadr Movement will provide armed guards for each by the militia controlled by anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.