India offers to complete Italian marines' trial within 4 months

Indian team was taken aback at ITLOS (International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea) in Hamburg on Wednesday, when Italy offered 600,000 euros as a guarantee for the release of two Italian marines that are accused of murdering two Indian fishermen without any provocation off the Indian coast in Kerala.

India termed the offer of bank guarantee as quid pro quo for return of Italian marines -- Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone -- as outrageous that cannot be accepted by India as it involved murder of two Indian citizens.
However, on Italian argument that case has been dragging for far too long, India told the international tribunal that it was ready to complete the trial within four months.

"I have been instructed to state that India is prepared to guarantee that the decision of the Special Court could be handed down within four months from the date on which the hearings open, if Italy were to cooperate and withdraw its objections to the procedure before the Indian Supreme Court," Indian representative Pellet told the tribunal.

India also rebutted Italy's claim before the tribunal that New Delhi shut the door for a diplomatic solution to the marines issue and that there was any back channel discussions between the senior Prime Ministerial advisers and Italian representative.

The tribunal has reserved its order and will give the ruling on August 24.