'I resign in contention with the decision to send the marines back to India,' Giulio Terzi said.

Rome: Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi today resigned following criticism of the government's decision to send back to India the two Italian marines accused of killing Indian fishermen.

Terzi announced his resignation in Parliament, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

"I resign in contention with the decision to send the marines back to India. The misgivings I expressed had no effect on the decision taken," the 66-year-old told parliament.

The Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast last year had returned to New Delhi on March 22 after India gave an assurance that they will not face death penalty nor will they be arrested, bringing to an end a raging 11-day diplomatic row between the two countries.

The marines, Massimiliano Latore and Salvatore Girone, arrested in connection with the killing of the fishermen in February last year returned accompanied by Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Steffan de Mistura in a military plane.

The dramatic u-turn by the Italian government, which had earlier said the two marines would not be sent back, enabled the marines to meet the deadline set by the Supreme Court when it gave them permission to go for a month to vote in the elections there.

Italy had said it was important to suspend the diplomatic assurance on sending back its marines as it needed to obtain assurances from India that the soldiers won't face death penalty.

Defending their initial decision not to send back their marines even at the cost of diplomatic breach of assurance, Mistura had said in New Delhi that death penalty was unacceptable and became an issue for the Italian government when the Supreme Court talked about setting up of a special court to try the soldiers.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid had said that no deal has been worked out with Italy for bringing back the marines but the government had "clarified" to authorities in Rome that the case does not entitle death penalty.

The Italian marines had flown back to New Delhi on March 22 after securing assurance from India that they will not face death penalty nor will they be arrested, bringing to an end the 11-day diplomatic row between the two countries.

They were accompanied by Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Steffan de Mistura in a military plane.

The dramatic U-turn by the Italian government, enabled the marines to meet the deadline set by the Supreme Court when it gave them permission to go for a month to vote in the elections here.

Defending their initial decision not to send back their marines even at the cost of diplomatic breach of assurance, Mistura had said in New Delhi that death penalty was unacceptable and became an issue for the Italian government when the Supreme Court talked about setting up of a special court to try the soldiers.

As the diplomatic crisis escalated, India forbade Italian ambassador Daniele Mancini from leaving the country and airports were put on alert.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid had said that no deal has been worked out with Italy for bringing back the marines but the government had "clarified" to authorities in Rome that the case does not entitle death penalty.

The two marines were serving as security guards on 'Enrica Lexie', an Italian oil tanker, when the incident occurred last year.

PTI