EU moves to help free Italian sailors held in India

The European Union said on Wednesday it was taking steps to help resolve a dispute between Italy and India after two Italian marines were detained for shooting two Indian fisherman they believed to be pirates.

Italy insists that India has no jurisdiction over the matter because it occurred in international waters and argues that, since the marines were aboard an Italian vessel, any investigation or trial should be conducted by Italy according to international law governing the high seas.

"Following the request of Italy, we are now undertaking contacts that are aimed at contributing to finding a satisfactory solution for this case as soon as possible," a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.

Italy's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Indian ambassador, Shri Debabrata Saha, to protest about the jailing of the two marines on Monday.

Italian newspapers had criticised the Foreign Ministry saying it had been too cautious in its handling of the dispute.

Also on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mario Monti spoke to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the dispute, Ansa state news agency reported citing "qualified" sources.

Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone were part of a security detail protecting Italian merchant vessel Enrica Lexie. On February 15, the two opened fire when they thought they were under attack from pirates in international waters about 20 miles from the Indian coast.

The two handed themselves in to authorities in Kochi on February 20, and were held in a police-guarded house before being transferred to a prison in Thiruvananthapuram.

At the prison, Italy's envoy Staffan de Mistura, stood between the warden and the two sailors, refusing to let them be jailed among the general population, Corriere della Sera newspaper said.

Instead they have been housed in a white, one-room building in the prison compound, rather than a cell, and they are brought meals prepared by an Italian navy cook, including pizza and pasta, the newspaper said.

Rome began assigning military teams to protect its merchant vessels in the Indian Ocean last year after a series of attacks by Somali pirates on Italian ships.

Pirates operating in small fishing vessels and fast motorboats have hijacked dozens of ships in the region in recent years, extracting millions of dollars in ransom.