Rome in no mood to send Marine back

NEW DELHI: India and Italy are in for another round of diplomatic strife with Rome saying that it may not be possible for marine Massimiliano Latorre, who is accused of shooting Kerala fishermen, to return to India in January.
READ ALSO: SC allows ailing Italian marine Massimiliano Latorre to go home for 4 months
Notwithstanding the Supreme Court ruling, which mandates the presence of the marine next month, the Italian government suggested that he may be too ill to travel.Italian media reported that Latorre, who is recovering from a stroke he suffered here, may require a heart surgery next month.
Italy has also recalled its ambassador here for consultations and to express its dissatisfaction over the latest developments, including the stand taken by the Court that Latorre's leave not be extended.
International agencies reported Italian defence minister Roberta Pinotti as saying that “conditions aren't there” for Latorre's return.
Meanwhile, EU has said that the issue had the potential to impact the overall European Union-India relations and has also a bearing on the global fight against piracy "to which the EU is strongly committed''.
“The decision to deny the plea of Massimiliano Latorre for an extension of his stay in Italy for medical treatment and to refuse Salvatore Girone permission to spend the Christmas period at home is disappointing, as a long awaited mutually agreed solution has not yet proved possible,” said Federica Mogherini, who is the new foreign policy chief of EU.
Pinotti said that the full physical recovery of marine Latorre was “a priority for the government and nothing will be done to jeopardize his condition”.
After the Supreme Court rejection on Tuesday, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and other politicians expressed displeasure over the development, news agency ANSA reported.
The two Italian marines, accused of killing two fishermen in Kerala in 2012, maintain that they fired on the two Indians after mistaking them for pirates while guarding an Italian oil tanker.