Thiruvananthapuram:
Italian Junior Foreign Minister Staffan De Mistura said on Thursday that the detention of two Italian marines in connection with the fatal shooting of two Indian fishermen would set a "very dangerous precedent."
Mr De Mistura was speaking from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, where he had travelled to meet with Indian officials and secure the release of the marines.
Latore Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone were first detained on February 19 and have been held since in a special cell at the Central Prison in Thiruvananthapuram, separate from the general prison population.
The marines were providing anti-piracy security aboard a cargo ship "Enrica Lexie " off India's southern coast, Italian officials say.
The fishermen were shot after they were mistaken for pirates.
India says the fact that the shooting happened on an Indian boat gave it jurisdiction.
But Mr De Mistura warned that if not speedily resolved, the issue would create a dangerous precedent for all nations.
Italy wants the marines to be kept in a guest house, according to privileges granted in Italy to military personnel.
But Kerala's Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the Italians would be shown no special leniency.
Mr De Mistura said that the Indian authorities were being very kind to them in jail.
The Italian diplomatic mission was unable last month to persuade the Indians to relinquish custody.
Italy has since engaged the European Union to lobby its case with New Delhi.
Several countries, including India, allow ship owners to use armed security guards to protect
against pirate attacks, now a major threat to merchant ships in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.
Italy says having military personnel aboard the cargo ship is governed by an Italian law conforming to United Nations anti-piracy resolutions, and that such personnel are part of the Italian state and therefore immune to the jurisdiction of foreign states.
Maritime organisations are questioning whether the very presence of armed security could actually increase violence on the high seas.