Why Italy sent back its marines to India

March 28, 2013 16:01

On ZeeNews: Serious and objective risks that Italy could become "isolated in the international community amid a crisis of grave proportions with India" over the two marines led the Italian government to decide to send them back to India, outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti has said.

The two marines - Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone - have been at the centre of a bilateral dispute since February 2012, when they were arrested in India on charges of shooting two Indian fishermen dead while on anti-piracy duty off its southern coast.

While Italy insists the incident happened in international waters, India claims that Latorre and Girone should be tried as the crime appeared on its territory.

"Our priority was safety, security and dignity of our two marines as well as of all Italians who are in India," Xinhua news agency quoted Monti as saying in an address to Parliament, a day after Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi quit out of disagreement with the government.

Monti said there were "serious and objective risks" that Italy could remain "isolated in the international community amid a crisis of grave proportions with India".

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