Diplomacy is at work: Khurshid on marines decision to return
External affairs minister Salman Khurshid today said that diplomacy is at work resulting in Italy’s decision to send back two marines charged in the fishermen killing case and parried questions on Italian media reports that Congress president Sonia Gandhi influenced that government’s decision.
Welcoming Italy’s decision to send back two marines, the minister said the decision has to be conveyed to the Supreme Court through proper procedure and he would apprise Parliament about it.
“I would like as I have said to share whatever developments have happened with Parliament but I can certainly say we have been in constant contact. I have repeatedly said that you should not write off diplomacy to soon... So at last I can say that diplomacy continues to work when everybody else thinks that everything is lost and please give diplomacy a little more chance to do things that are important for our country,” he said.
Khurshid also said that “Law remains as it is. Nothing changes as far as the law is concerned and my understanding can’t change the law”. Italy last night said it will send back to India two marines to face trial for killing two fishermen after receiving an assurance from the Indian government about the protection of their fundamental rights.
Asked about reports in the Italian media that Gandhi influenced the decision on the marines, he said, “The diplomacy that we do under this government, diplomacy that we do for that matter for any policy implemented by this government is obviously given a direction, given an impetus by the Prime Minister and the Congress president. “It is a government that is led by them and then for anyone else amongst us to take credit I think would be unbecoming. They lead it from the front. We don’t share. We cannot share with you everything that is said to us privately within the confines of government but the bottomline of what we are expected to I think becomes clear in the public sphere,” he said.
Post new comment