Is Italy taking 'advantage' of India's
decency?
Wednesday March 13, 2013 08:23:20 PM,
IANS
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New Delhi: Italy is
not the first country to have taken advantage of the Indian
government's "decency" in refusing to return its accused men for
trial, and the plea to allow the two marines to fly back to Rome
to vote could have been a ploy being hatched for some time, say
two former envoys to that country.
Italy has refused to send back its marines, Massimiliano Latorre
and Salvatore Girone, to India to face trial for killing two
fishermen off the Kerala coast last year, mistaking them to be
pirates.
This is not the first case. In 1998, two French nationals had been
arrested off the Kerala coast on suspicion of ocean survey
espionage. The two men were put on trial and were allowed to go
back to visit their homes after the French government gave an
undertaking in court that they would return.
"They never returned... Take the case of Kim Davy (the Purulia
arms drop case prime accused from Denmark)," said former diplomat
Rajiv Dogra, who retired as the country's ambassador to Italy.
"They (countries) are taking advantage of the decency of the
Indian government," Dogra told IANS.
"Last year, a US warship killed an Indian off the coast of Dubai
and injured two-three Indians seriously. Nothing happened in the
case," he reminded.
"It is for India to act strongly for only then they will stop
taking advantage," said he.
He suggested two options that India could pursue. "India could
declare them (marines) offenders and could scale down diplomatic
contact with Italy… It is for the government of India to decide."
According to another former envoy K.P. Fabian, it was wrong of
Italy to go back on its personal word to India and the Supreme
Court that the marines would be sent back.
He said with Rome set to have a new government in the next few
days the current government probably wanted to bring the affair
"to a conclusion before it leaves office".
He also suggested that the Italian government could have made up
its mind not to return the two marines when it filed a plea in the
Supreme Court to allow them to fly back to Rome to vote in the
elections.
"It seems they had made up their minds to do it..There is no real
reason to ask India for permission to allow them to be taken to
Italy for voting," Fabian told IANS.
"The request indicates planning was going on for some time," added
Fabian.
He said it was difficult to say what the implications of the
diplomatic stand off would be. "India has responded in fairly
strong terms… Lets see what Italy has to say."
He said India might have to wait for a new government to come in
Rome to get a "real response" to the situation.
"And it will be difficult for the new government to change course
due to domestic and emotional issues involved," he said.
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