Isolation fear led Italy to send marines back

Serious and objective risks that Italy could become “isolated in the international community amid a crisis of grave proportions with India” over the two marines led the Italian government to decide to send them back to India, outgoing PM Mario Monti has said.

Serious and objective risks that Italy could become “isolated in the international community amid a crisis of grave proportions with India” over the two marines led the Italian government to decide to send them back to India, outgoing PM Mario Monti has said.

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The two marines — Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone — have been at the centre of a bilateral dispute since February 2012, when they were arrested in India on charges of shooting two fishermen dead.

“Our priority was safety, security and dignity of our two marines as well as of all Italians who are in India,” Monti said in an address to parliament, a day after foreign minister Giulio Terzi quit out of disagreement with the government.

Monti said there were that Italy could remain “isolated in the international community”.