The Italian government is
considering seeking international arbitration in its dispute
with India over two Italian marines accused of killing two
Indian fishermen during an anti-piracy mission in 2012,
government sources said Tuesday.
The possibility is being considered increasingly in the
light of repeated delays by Indian courts in the case, the
rebuffal by Narendra Modi's Indian government of Italian
diplomatic mediation efforts and evaluations made by a team of
international lawyers who follow the case for Italy.
The Corriere della Sera newspaper cited leaks to this
effect Tuesday in an article that said the government already
has decided to have recourse to arbitration.
Government sources did not deny the report but said that
for the moment it is only a "hypothesis" under consideration.
Marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone are
accused of killing fishermen Valentine (aka Gelastine) and Ajesh
Binki after allegedly mistaking them for pirates and opening
fire on their fishing trawler while guarding the privately owned
Italian-flagged oil-tanker MT Enrica Lexie off the coast of
Kerala on February 15, 2012.
Latorre is currently in Italy for medical treatment after
suffering a stroke last summer and then undergoing heart surgery
in January.
He is due to return to India on July 15.
Rome argues the case is not in India's jurisdiction as the
incident took place outside the country's territorial waters.
It also says the marines should be exempt from prosecution
in India, because they are servicemen who were working on an
anti-piracy mission, and allowed to return home.
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