SEOUL: In a change of stance, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on Monday said it respects the jurisdiction of Indian court over its two detained marines, accused of killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast. Monti, however, in his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern over their "nature of imprisonment".
Highly placed sources said Monti also conveyed to Singh the "strong public interest" in his country to have "some solution" to the row.
The Italian prime minister raised the issue of the marines during a meeting with Singh on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul. Singh explained that a judicial process is under way, sources said, adding that the Italians told him that they respected it.
The Italian PM reportedly made no specific request on the issue and conveyed to Singh that he respected India's judicial process.
Monti wanted to know whether anything could be done within the framework, what law is allowed and what could be done in the future to take forward their concerns.
Italy and India's relations have been under stress since last month when Indian authorities arrested two Italian navy personnel over the killing of two fishermen by marines aboard an Italian vessel 'Enrica Lexie'.AAs
Norway custody battle
Besides the crisis over Italian nationals, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also met his Norwegian counterpart Jens Stoltenberg at a pull-aside meeting and expressed hope for an "amicable and good" solution to the custody row involving two Indian children.
"The welfare of the children and the interests of the parents should be taken care of," Singh added.
Pointing to the deep family ties that are part of the Indian tradition, "the Prime Minister hoped for an outcome that would be positive, taking into account the interest of the law, the children and their parents," foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai told journalists accompanying the PM.
Manmohan Singh's response came after Stoltenberg informed him that the Stavanger municipality was planning to take the next step in the case in full consultation with the parties concerned.
Obama hugs Singh
PM Manmohan Singh got a big hug from US President Barack Obama, who greeted him with "Nice to meet you prime minister" ahead of dinner for the world leaders attending the Nuclear Safety Summit. Singh also shook hands with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Speaking of the Obama-Manmohan meeting, an Indian government source said: "There was no pull-aside; there was a pull-in. Obama gave the prime minister a big hug."
'India to stress on N-safety'
On Tuesday at the summit, Singh will stress on the interface between nuclear safety and security to address threats by "insiders", Indian officials said. "The issue of safety has to be taken care of at the planning stage. Guns, gates and guards are not adequate. There is the question of access controls, and whenever needed, to address threats by insiders," R B Grover, principal adviser to the department of atomic energy, said.
Asked if India's atomic energy programme faced any specific insider threats, he said the question of plant safety and the safety of material being transported were two different things.
Highly placed sources said Monti also conveyed to Singh the "strong public interest" in his country to have "some solution" to the row.
The Italian prime minister raised the issue of the marines during a meeting with Singh on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul. Singh explained that a judicial process is under way, sources said, adding that the Italians told him that they respected it.
The Italian PM reportedly made no specific request on the issue and conveyed to Singh that he respected India's judicial process.
Monti wanted to know whether anything could be done within the framework, what law is allowed and what could be done in the future to take forward their concerns.
Italy and India's relations have been under stress since last month when Indian authorities arrested two Italian navy personnel over the killing of two fishermen by marines aboard an Italian vessel 'Enrica Lexie'.AAs
Norway custody battle
Besides the crisis over Italian nationals, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also met his Norwegian counterpart Jens Stoltenberg at a pull-aside meeting and expressed hope for an "amicable and good" solution to the custody row involving two Indian children.
"The welfare of the children and the interests of the parents should be taken care of," Singh added.
Pointing to the deep family ties that are part of the Indian tradition, "the Prime Minister hoped for an outcome that would be positive, taking into account the interest of the law, the children and their parents," foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai told journalists accompanying the PM.
Manmohan Singh's response came after Stoltenberg informed him that the Stavanger municipality was planning to take the next step in the case in full consultation with the parties concerned.
Obama hugs Singh
PM Manmohan Singh got a big hug from US President Barack Obama, who greeted him with "Nice to meet you prime minister" ahead of dinner for the world leaders attending the Nuclear Safety Summit. Singh also shook hands with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Speaking of the Obama-Manmohan meeting, an Indian government source said: "There was no pull-aside; there was a pull-in. Obama gave the prime minister a big hug."
'India to stress on N-safety'
On Tuesday at the summit, Singh will stress on the interface between nuclear safety and security to address threats by "insiders", Indian officials said. "The issue of safety has to be taken care of at the planning stage. Guns, gates and guards are not adequate. There is the question of access controls, and whenever needed, to address threats by insiders," R B Grover, principal adviser to the department of atomic energy, said.
Asked if India's atomic energy programme faced any specific insider threats, he said the question of plant safety and the safety of material being transported were two different things.
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