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IBTimes.com

India

February 22, 2012 5:47 PM IST

Enrica Lexie Row: Italian Diplomat Meets Indian Counterpart

A top Italian diplomat, who is in India to negotiate over the arrests of two naval guards of Enrica Lexie ship accused of allegedly shooting and killing two Indian fishermen, on Wednesday said that the country wants to know the 'truth'.

Latorre Massimiliano (4th L in uniform) and Salvatore Girone (4th R in uniform, with beard), members of the navy security team of Napoli registered Italian merchant vessel Enrica Lexie, are taken for interrogation by the Indian police in the southern Indian city of Kochi February 19, 2012.

Staffan De Mistura, Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived in India on Wednesday morning and met Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur to discuss the issue.

"I came because we wanted to continue dialogue, relation between India and our Italy... tragic incident need to be analyzed properly...proper dialogue to find a solution," Mistura told reporters.

"There were agreements on three points, we recognize that two Indians died... it is terribly sad," Mistura said.

"It took place on international waters. Investigation will assert actual position," he said. "We all want to know the truth.. truth will help us."

However, India has maintained that the country will follow its legal process.

According to reports, the Italian Foreign Minister is likely to visit India in the coming week to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, a local court issued a search warrant to seize the weapons used in the shooting.

Italian Navy guards of the ship filed a plea in the Kerala High Court for quashing the FIR that was filed against the two naval guards

Two naval guards of an Italian ship who had allegedly fired at Indian fishermen, killing two of them off the Kerala coast recently, on Monday were sent to police custody till February 23.

The navy personnel were produced in the House of Magistrate in Kollam on Monday.

On Feb 19, the captain and two crew members of an Italian ship were taken into custody by the southern state's police.

They were charged with murder under Section 302 of Indian Penal Code and will be handed over to the Kollam Police for production in court.

On Feb 15, security officials of an Italian cargo vessel, Enrica Lexie, shot dead two Indian fishermen mistaking them as pirates in the high seas off Ambalapuzha in Kerala.

Later they were taken into custody.