It is difficult to write more about the story of the two navy riflemen after 1000 days from when the state handed them over "to hostile hands" without expecting their rights to be respected. Almost three years have passed since that March 22, 2013 when they were brought to Indian justice by applying a passive extradition, despite the fact that no evidence of accusation was produced against them.
But the discomfort of still witnessing a "telenovela" carried out indefinitely without even changing the script, rather than always repeating a wearable plot, can not be ignored.
After Monti, minister of foreign affairs for a month, there have been three ministers: Bonino, Mogherini and, since yesterday, Gentiloni. Also two governments: the Letta one and the current one chaired by Renzi.
In a normal country one would have expected a series of measures in succession and according to a foreign policy line characterized by a growing trend in terms of successes. Instead, none of this. The case is still managed by India and the only continuity is represented by an uninterrupted series of words, just words, as if all referred to a single note of language agreed three years ago between Palazzo Chigi and the two departments of the defense and foreign affairs.
We can not, therefore, dismiss the main acts of this "melodrama" of modern Italy, recalling the official statements of the institutional leaders. An effort to try to propose a sad reality that should make people think.
September 2013, Minister Bonino: "The Letta government has inherited a very complex dossier" on the affair of the two Italian marines held in India, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone. "Our commitment is to bring the marines home".
October 2013, still the owner of the Farnesina: "But we do not have much credibility to spend abroad". "... I trust and I am hopeful to succeed, I can give the guarantee of our maximum commitment".
Then absolute silence broken by calls to be reserved and by considerations on the proven innocence of the two maro, very questionable for a minister of a rule of law.
22 February 2014, on the day of the inauguration of the current government, Prime Minister Renzi launched a twitter: "I just spoke on the phone with Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone". 25 February in the Chamber the premier reiterated "The government will do everything to" resolve the matter quickly ". With a single goal:" bring back to Italy ..... the two fusiliers .... ". And then" ..... "They must be tried in Italy".
Statements remained such as to date the results are still not seen and the novel continues.
Il 13 March the defense minister, Mr Pinotti from Delhi explained to us that "the reason for this visit was above all to meet and speak directly with Massimiliano and Salvatore" and that "there is a single line of government, agreed with the prime minister", also "if I and Foreign Minister Mogherini are the ones who follow you most closely".
Il 16 March the defense owner in an interview with Sky TG24 also admitted that "many mistakes have been made, from the rules of engagement, to the lack of a clear strategy ...". "Our military cannot be judged in India, because this it would jeopardize the entire status of the Italian soldiers participating in missions. This is why we want to internationalize this story ".
A position shared by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on. Mogherini March 25 declared after meeting his Indian counterpart: "We reiterated our determination to explore all political and legal actions to see our rights recognized to exercise jurisdiction over the maro case". "The jurisdiction must be Italian, we do not recognize the Indian one, in case of conflict the road is that of internationalization".
Concept reiterated after 2 days, the 18 March, when the head of the Farnesina informed the foreign committees of the chamber and the senate that on the marò case "we sent the last note verbale the last seventh" to New Delhi, "the next step could be the start of an international arbitration: we will discuss with them and their lawyers ". He also specified "The connection of the ministries of foreign affairs and defense with the presidency of the council, an essential tool for dealing with a more coordinated and more united way than in the past". He added "to have a single voice: the strength of our message lies in the uniqueness of the message we send to Delhi".
Il 24th April the Hon. Pinotti, in fact, stated, "We have left the bilateral riverbed to raise international disputes: we are still open to discuss with the Indians", but "we have no other way than to resort to international arbitration". And again, "We do not accept an Indian process whose validity we do not recognize". Words not followed by concrete actions.
Il 29th April Prime Minister Renzi in a public broadcast: "I ask for respect for Italy, for two people under indictment but not considered guilty by anyone". There is a place, the natural tribunal, in which the marines must be judged. There is no other way to internationalize the matter ... detention in India is unacceptable ".
Il 5nd June on Radio Anch'io, the defense minister always recalled that the government "has embarked on the path of arbitration which has a technical deadline that is drawing to a close". "Today we are in the last phase before the actual moment in which the arbitration starts, ... we will try to find an agreement with the new government on the point that they should not be judged in India, otherwise we are ready to start with the arbitration . There is no slowdown. " The triller does not end and the words remain so. The conclusion is increasingly distant and we move on to the confidential phase, that of "secret diplomacy", applied a year earlier by Minister Bonino and the novel continues when yesterday, November 2, in the course of an interview, he informs, "Open dialogue with Indian, we hope it will bear excellent results. '' And again "We are working very carefully and with confidentiality: the marò case is an issue that is not important to talk about but on which it is important to work". "We are aware that there is a deadline, which is January, and let's not forget it ".
Statements of hope that are added to the words of the new foreign minister, the Hon. Gentiloni who declares shortly after the investiture about the "first phone calls" he made "were to Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone", because the "dossier" is also a priority for the new holder of the Farnesina remains the fate of the two marines ". already pronounced on 22 February by Prime Minister Renzi and even before the inauguration of the Letta government.
The minister is at the MAE (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ed) alone 2 days, you can not expect to have the magic wand and immediately solve a problem that is dragged from 1000 days.
However, announcing himself in the same way as two of his predecessors is perplexing and leads us to think that perhaps the "soap opera" will continue for a long time to come.
It is only hoped that the Hon. Gentiloni does not forget the importance of diplomatic acts through which a State affirms its value in an international context and recalls that in recent years, one of Italy's strengths is represented by the trust it has earned in international military missions of peace keeping.
Not defending, therefore, the rights of their soldiers employed in international missions - and the marines were in the context of the fight against piracy carried out under the aegis of the UN - would represent a defeat for Italian diplomacy that cannot give up and give up what has been hard earned in terms of visibility and sacrificing dozens of human lives.
Minister, do not limit yourself, therefore, to phone showing only the human proximity to our military, but abandon the strategy of words and put an end to this endless telenovela.
Fernando Termentini
