Italy's decision on marines unacceptable to Indian PM
New Delhi (AsiaNews) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that Italy's decision was "unacceptable". Yesterday, the Italian Foreign Minister issued a statement, saying that Italian Marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone would return to India. This morning in New Delhi, the Indian premier met lawmakers from Kerala who demand his intervention in the "serious" matter.
In Italy on a special permit to vote in last month's Italian parliamentary elections, the two soldiers are not expected to return to India after the Italian Foreign Ministry said that the case had become an "international dispute" that required, according to Italy, international arbitration.
Indian Foreign Minister Salman Kurshid said the government is studying Italy's decision, its reasons as well as its implications. "We will study and take a rightful position . . . . We will take informed position," he explained.
Contacted by AsiaNews, Fr Giuseppe Faraci, a military chaplain that has followed the affair since its inception, said he was happy that the two soldiers would remain in Italy.
The two soldiers from the San Marco battalion were due back in New Delhi on 23 March.
Since a Supreme Court ruling on 18 January, Indian authorities have been setting up a special court to decide whether India or Italy had jurisdiction to try Latorre and Girone for the death of two Indian fishermen in an incident involving oil tanker Enrica Lexie on 15 February 2012.
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