Italy says deal for kin of murdered fishermen a gesture of goodwill, not settlement of claim

Thiruvananthapuram, May 1 (ANI): Italy on Tuesday said that the compromise reached between it and the families of the two fishermen killed earlier this year by two Italian marines on board an Italian ship Enrica Lexie, was "a gesture of goodwill" and was not to be "misread as a settlement of claim".

Italy told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that if it considered the settlement to be "illegal", it should set it aside.

The Supreme Court on Monday had made critical observations on the compromise formula reached between the Italian Government and the families of the fishermen, whereby the former promised to pay a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the latter.

The fishermen's families had agreed to the deal and filed an application before the Kerala High Court stating that they wanted to withdraw the case against the Italian marines.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs made it clear that despite the deal, the case against the Italian Marines would continue. (ANI)