14 March,2013 12:05 PM IST | | Agencies
The apex court after an undertaking from the Italian Ambassador had allowed the two Italian naval guards - Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre - who were facing trial in India for killing two Kerala fishermen, to go home to vote in the national elections.
The marines were sent back to Italy on February 23, a day before the country's election, but the Italian Government on March 11 made it clear that they will not return back to India.
On Thursday morning, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh amid speculation over India's next move on the issue.
Supreme Court of India. File Pic
Daniele Mancini said on Wednesday that his government hoped to consensually solve the case of the Italian marines charged with murdering two Indian fishermen while on anti piracy duty.
The two sailors, part of a military security team protecting the tanker Enrica Lexie from pirates, were accused of shooting the two fishermen after mistaking them for pirates off Kerala in February last year.
While talking to mediapersons in New Delhi, Mancini said that he was hopeful that both the governments would solve the problem in a consensual manner.
"In these very months and in the last few weeks and even in the last few days, we tried and we also put forward several proposals to the Indian authorities, and to solve this case by consensual means. This is what we still want to be doing," he said.
Mancini was summoned on Tuesday by India's foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai who had strongly expressed New Delhi's anger over Italian government's decision.
