ROME, Jan 23 (Hina/AR) - Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has expressed his profound concern over Monday's use of firearms from a Croatian police boat towards an Italian fishing boat in the northern Adriatic.
ROME, Jan 23 (Hina/AR) - Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini
has expressed his profound concern over Monday's use of firearms
from a Croatian police boat towards an Italian fishing boat in the
northern Adriatic. #L#
The Italian ministry said in a statement Thursday that Frattini had
asked the Croatian Ambassador to Italy, Drago Kraljevic, to visit
Farnesina, where Frattini voiced regret and concern over the use of
firearms.
The Italian side said an agreement should be reached on measures to
prevent similar events.
"It is not important whether the Italian boat was in Croatian
territorial waters or not on January 20. According to Croatian
police, it was. But, the fact that firearms were used is
unacceptable for the Italian side," Kraljevic said.
Frattini warned Kraljevic that the use of weapons was not a European
standard of conduct and pointed to the need to regulate the issue of
security at sea with a bilateral agreement as soon as possible.
According to police, a maritime police patrol on Monday morning
noticed an Italian boat fishing illegally in Croatia's waters.
The boat's crew were ordered to stop the vessel with light and audio
signals, as well as via a speakerphone in the Italian language.
Since the boat did not stop, police began a chase and fired five
flares to stop the vessel. Even then, the boat did not stop. Police
then fired gun shots, firstly in the air and then above the boat.
Even this failed to stop the Italian fishermen. They continued
sailing towards the sea border with Italy, after which the police
chase was called off.
(hina) lml