India asks Italy to await verdict on Marines case
7 Nov 2012 6:37 AM IST
In his first overseas visit after becoming external affairs minister, Salman Khurshid held a series of bilateral meetings with the prime ministers of Italy and Denmark and his counterparts from Germany, Bangladesh, Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Vientiane, Laos, Tuesday.
In his discussions with Italian PM Mario Monti Tuesday, Khurshid urged him to await the verdict of Indian courts on the two Italian Marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala. The Italian prime minister requested a brief interaction with Khurshid on the margins of the ASEM Summit in Vientiane, official sources said here.
Last month, Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi had criticised what he called the Indian justice system’s dithering over the two Italian Marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in February.
Indian fishermen Ajesh Binki and Gelastine were allegedly mistaken as pirates and shot dead by the Marines posted as security crew of the cargo vessel Enrica Lexie off the Kerala coast 15 Feb.
Italy maintains that Indian courts do not have jurisdiction to try the marines as the incident occurred in international waters. It has stressed that the two men were entitled to immunity as they were fulfilling a ‘sovereign act’ of protecting the ship against suspected pirates.
In his discussions with Italian PM Mario Monti Tuesday, Khurshid urged him to await the verdict of Indian courts on the two Italian Marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala. The Italian prime minister requested a brief interaction with Khurshid on the margins of the ASEM Summit in Vientiane, official sources said here.
Last month, Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi had criticised what he called the Indian justice system’s dithering over the two Italian Marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in February.
Indian fishermen Ajesh Binki and Gelastine were allegedly mistaken as pirates and shot dead by the Marines posted as security crew of the cargo vessel Enrica Lexie off the Kerala coast 15 Feb.
Italy maintains that Indian courts do not have jurisdiction to try the marines as the incident occurred in international waters. It has stressed that the two men were entitled to immunity as they were fulfilling a ‘sovereign act’ of protecting the ship against suspected pirates.
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