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MARINES ROW
Airports alerted to prevent Italian envoy from leaving
Ashok Tuteja/TNS

New Delhi, March 15
Tightening screws on Italian Ambassador Daniele Mancini, the government today put airports across India on alert to prevent the envoy from leaving the country in compliance with the Supreme Court order in the Italian marines’ case.

“The Supreme Court orders will be complied with by all government agencies,” External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters here. He said the matter would come up before the apex court on Monday and after that the future course of action would be decided.

Simultaneously, the government also informed the apex court that it had served on the Italian envoy the order issued by it yesterday, restraining him from leaving the country. Mancini had been called to the foreign office yesterday, the second time in the past three days, by Sudhir Vyas, secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry and handed over a copy of the court order.

In an expression of its anger with Rome, the government has already asked its Ambassador-designate to Italy Basant Kumar Gupta not to proceed to the European nation. He was expected to take up his assignment later this month.

Sources said the step had been taken in view of the possibility of the Italian envoy being declared persona non-grata if Italy did not comply with the court order.