Our Correspondent /
India today said that it would continue to abide by the International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas decisions, including the present one on provisional Measures in the Enrica Lexie incident. Reacting to Tribunal judgement, the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the New Delhi is studying the judgment in detail.
He said however it is clear that the Tribunal did not consider the two provisional measures sought by Italy to be appropriate as that would have pre-judged the merits of the case and would not have equally preserved the rights of both parties. The Tribunal has instead prescribed a provisional measure in which both Italy and India should suspend all Court proceedings and shall refrain from initiating new ones which might aggravate or extend the dispute.
Italy had approached the Tribunal for two provisional measures that India should refrain from taking or enforcing any judicial or administrative measures against the two marines and from exercising any form of jurisdiction over the incident. It had also sought the return of Sgt. Girone to Italy and continued stay of Sgt. Latorre in Italy throughout the proceedings before Arbitral Tribunal.
Meanwhile, a senior Home Ministry official said that it is a clear setback for Italy as the Tribunal is silent on its plea to allow Sgt. Girone to go back home. He will stay back in India until jurisdiction of the case is decided. The other accused Sgt. Latorre is already in Italy and has been allowed to stay back home by the Supreme Court due to medical reasons.