NEW DELHI, March 16- India is downgrading its diplomatic ties with Italy, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. The government has asked its new Ambassador-designate to Italy, Basant Kumar Gupta who was scheduled to leave for Rome on Friday not to proceed with his posting there.
The government is reviewing its bilateral ties with Italy after the Italian government reneged on its promise to send back two Italian marines currently facing trial in India for allegedly killing two Indian fishermen. The marines — Massimiliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone — were charged with killing the fishermen off the Kerala coast in February last year in an
anti-piracy operation.
They were permitted by the apex court on Feb 22 to return to Italy to vote in polls and ordered to return after four weeks. The government has accused Italy of violating diplomatic norms and breaching agreements made with the Supreme Court, with sources saying India wanted to downgrade ties with Italy to express its dissatisfaction.
“The decision of not sending Gupta to assume his position is tantamount to India wishing to keep diplomatic ties with Italy at a lower level than the ambassador,” sources said. All exit points including airports across the country have been alerted to prevent Italian Ambassador Daniele Mancini from leaving the country. The decision was made by the Union Home Ministry a day after the Supreme Court restrained Mancini from leaving India without its permission.
On Thursday, the government announced it will review its entire gamut of relations with Italy including diplomatic, trade and defence ties. The stand-off between India and Italy was discussed among Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon at a meeting earlier.
“The entire expanse of our interaction with Italy is being reviewed. Italy has to respect and abide by the agreements it made with the Indian Supreme Court,” a spokesman at the Ministry of External Affairs said. The apex court has issued notices to Mancini and the two marines asking them to file their response by March 18 and set the matter for further hearing next Monday.
BERNAMA
