EU calls for rules on ship guards after Italy-India spat

(BRUSSELS) - The European Union called on Tuesday for international rules on the use of armed guards aboard ships amid a diplomatic spat between Italy and India over two Italian marines jailed in the south Asian country.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton discussed the issue with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti in Brussels after the two oil tanker guards allegedly killed two Indian fishermen they mistook for pirates last month.

"She underlined the need to put this incident into the broader context of international cooperation on counter-piracy and more specifically on the issue of regulating the protection aboard ships," her office said in a statement.

Several nations have allowed shipping companies to hire armed guards to protect their ships sailing through pirate-infested waters off the Horn of Africa, stirring a debate about their use.

The two Italian marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, have been imprisoned in India's southern state of Kerala pending a murder investigation despite pressure from Italy for them to be handed over to Rome for prosecution.

Italy argues India does not have jurisdiction in the case as it involved an Italian-flagged vessel and occurred in international waters near India. India disputes this, saying the incident happened in waters under its jurisdiction.

Ashton's spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic, told reporters that the EU was in contact with Italian and Indian authorities in the hope of finding a "satisfactory resolution of this case as soon as possible."

She said the EU, which has deployed navies to police the coast of Somalia since 2008, would like the use of armed guards regulated within the International Maritime Organization, a UN agency.

"This is a much broader issue that needs to be addresed in order to make sure we do not see incidents and problems that we are faced with in this particular case, and that's why we are keen to take this forward," Kocijancic said.