India: Italy to return marines to face murder charges

After being locked in a diplomatic row over a 'marines trial' issue for a nearly month, India on Friday said that Italy will "soon return" two of its navy guards to face alleged murder charges in India. "They are on their way back," spokesperson of India's External Affairs Ministry, Syed Akbaruddin said here. He said both Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone are likely to return today on the last date of the four-week parole granted to them by India's Supreme Court which had previously ordered the Italian ambassador here Daniele Mancini "not to leave" India following Italy's refusal on March 11 to return both the marines allegedly charged with the murder of fishermen in India last year. In his first response over Italy's change of stance, India's foreign minister Salman Khurshid told media Friday, "When everyone else thinks that everything is lost, diplomacy continues to work." The marines are accused of shooting dead fishermen Ajesh Binki and Selestian Valentine when the navy guards were protecting an Italian oil tanker off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012. Italy maintains the Indian fishing boat had ignored warning shots from the oil tanker but India says both the fishermen were unarmed and were simply murdered. Rome maintains that it wants its nationals to be tried in Italy only "because the incident took place in international waters". New Delhi says "it has full jurisdiction in the case". Both the marines were allowed by India's apex court to cast votes in Italy on the condition that they return to India to face charges. But Italy had refused to return the marines pushing India to bar Italy's ambassador from leaving New Delhi. Italy's fresh decision seems have cooled tempers in India even as New Delhi is believed to have assured Rome that a fast-track court will be commissioned to handle the trial and both the marines will receive fair treatment and their fundamental rights will be safeguarded.