Italian FM quits over marines trial in India
Source: Agencies |
March 27, 2013, Wednesday
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ITALIAN Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi resigned yesterday over his government's decision to return two marines to India to face trial for the murder of fishermen while on anti-piracy duty.
"I can no longer be part of this government and I announce my resignation," Terzi said during testimony to the lower house of parliament. "My reservations about sending the marines back to India were not listened to."
The marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, are facing trial in India over the shooting deaths of two fisheremen off the southern state of Kerala in February 2012, when they were on anti-piracy duty on an Italian commercial tanker.
They said they fired warning shots at a boat they believed to be a pirate vessel.
Since the incident, India and Italy have been embroiled in an escalating row at a time when Rome is trying to secure a major deal to sell helicopters to the Indian government.
The marines were allowed home for Christmas, and to vote in Italian elections in February, on condition they returned to India.
On March 11, the outgoing technocrat government of Mario Monti said it would not send the marines back because Indian courts did not have jurisdiction over the incident, which Rome said occurred in international waters.
But Italy reversed its position last week after India prevented the Italian ambassador from leaving the country.
Latorre and Girone returned to New Delhi on Friday in what defense forces chief Admiral Luigi Binelli Mantelli called a "farce."
"I can no longer be part of this government and I announce my resignation," Terzi said during testimony to the lower house of parliament. "My reservations about sending the marines back to India were not listened to."
The marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, are facing trial in India over the shooting deaths of two fisheremen off the southern state of Kerala in February 2012, when they were on anti-piracy duty on an Italian commercial tanker.
They said they fired warning shots at a boat they believed to be a pirate vessel.
Since the incident, India and Italy have been embroiled in an escalating row at a time when Rome is trying to secure a major deal to sell helicopters to the Indian government.
The marines were allowed home for Christmas, and to vote in Italian elections in February, on condition they returned to India.
On March 11, the outgoing technocrat government of Mario Monti said it would not send the marines back because Indian courts did not have jurisdiction over the incident, which Rome said occurred in international waters.
But Italy reversed its position last week after India prevented the Italian ambassador from leaving the country.
Latorre and Girone returned to New Delhi on Friday in what defense forces chief Admiral Luigi Binelli Mantelli called a "farce."
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