Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi resigned on Tuesday, following criticism of the government's decision to send two Italian marines accused of killing Indian fishermen back to India.
"I resign in contention with the decision to send the marines back to India. The misgivings I expressed had no effect on the decision taken," 66-year-old Terzi announced in the Italian parliament.
The Italian marines, Massimiliano Latore and Salvatore Girone, who are accused of killing two fishermen, Ajesh Binki and Valentine, off the Kerala coast in February last year, had returned to New Delhi on March 22. This was after India gave an assurance that they would not face the death penalty or arrested, bringing to an end a 11-day diplomatic row between the two countries. The marines were accompanied by Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Steffan de Mistura in a military plane on their way back to New Delhi.
The dramatic U-turn by the Italian government, which had earlier said the two marines would not be sent back, enabled the marines to meet the deadline set by the Supreme Court when it gave them permission to go for a month to vote in the elections there.
Italy had said it was important to suspend the diplomatic assurance on sending back its marines, as it needed to obtain assurances from India that the soldiers would not face the death penalty.
Defending their initial decision not to send back their marines even at the cost of the diplomatic breach of assurance, Mistura had said in New Delhi that the death penalty was unacceptable and became an issue for the Italian government when the Supreme Court talked about setting up a special court to try the soldiers.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid had said no deal had been worked out with Italy for bringing back the marines but the government had "clarified" to authorities in Rome that the case does not entitle death penalty.
