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NEW DELHI: Plans for the European Union to host a summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have collapsed amid acrimony over delays to the trial of two Italian marines for murder in the 2012 killing of two Indian fishermen.

A spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday confirmed that no EU-India summit would take place during Modi's trip to Europe next month, when he will visit Germany and France, but the official declined to comment further.

The last India-EU summit was held in February 2012, days before the incident. An EU official said both sides were looking for a mutually convenient date for the summit, to be hosted by the 28-member bloc, that would allow for sufficient preparation.

The head of a European Parliament delegation visiting India expressed disappointment and said the failure to hold a summit would delay efforts to strike a long-awaited free trade deal.

"Of course we attach importance to the imprisonment under any circumstances of citizens of our member states," Geoffrey van Orden told a news conference, when asked whether the case of the marines was behind the failure to set a summit date.

"We feel the process has gone on a bit long and should be expedited," said van Orden, a British member of the European Parliament who headed the seven-strong delegation.

Marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, part of a military team protecting a privately owned cargo ship, say they mistook Indian fishermen for pirates and fired warning shots into the water.

India's Supreme Court has allowed Latorre to temporarily return to Italy for heart surgery, but Girone remains in India awaiting trial.

Indian reports say New Delhi has taken exception to the role of EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Federica Mogherini in the case, which has made headlines in her home country, Italy.

A European Parliament resolution in January called for the return of the marines and a change of jurisdiction in the case. Italy argues that the incident took place in international waters off India's southwestern coast.

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EU-India summit off as Italian marines case rankles

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, center, waits for the start of a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, March 16, 2015. The European Union is debating ways to back peace talks in Libya but is unlikely to launch any security mission until stability returns to the conflict-torn country. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)(The Associated Press)

Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, center, waits for the start of a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, March 16, 2015. The European Union is debating ways to back peace talks in Libya but is unlikely to launch any security mission until stability returns to the conflict-torn country. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)(The Associated Press)

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, center, speaks with counterparts during a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, March 16, 2015. The European Union is debating ways to back peace talks in Libya but is unlikely to launch any security mission until stability returns to the conflict-torn country. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)(The Associated Press)

European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, March 16, 2015. The European Union is debating ways to back peace talks in Libya but is unlikely to launch any security mission until stability returns to the conflict-torn country. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)(The Associated Press)

BRUSSELS The European Union is debating ways to back peace talks in Libya but is unlikely to launch any security mission until stability returns to the conflict-torn country.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Monday that "we've got to establish a cease-fire and get some unity ... before we can talk about how we might support a peace."

Central authority has broken down in Libya as competing militias fight, some linked to the extremist Islamic State group, and rival parliaments claim political legitimacy.

U.N.-backed peace talks are due to resume in Morocco on Thursday.

"It doesn't seem that the situation would be appropriate" for any peacekeeping mission, Ireland's European affairs minister, Dara Murphy, said in Brussels ahead of talks among EU foreign ministers.

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EU debates ways to back Libya peace talks but reticent on launching any security mission

Mr Ricardo Baretzky Speaks on ECIPS and Security Risks in the European Union.
President of European Centre for Information Policy and Security (ECIPS), Mr Ricardo Baretzky Speaks on ECIPS and Security Risks in the European Union.

By: Ricardo Baretzky

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Mr Ricardo Baretzky Speaks on ECIPS and Security Risks in the European Union. - Video

Victoria II Ultimate Mod Let Us Build A German European Union #10
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By: Thee Optimates

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Victoria II Ultimate Mod Let Us Build A German European Union #10 - Video

HAVANA, March 15 (UPI) -- European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini will visit Cuba in March to improve relations as the United States continues negotiations with the communist country.

Scheduled for March 23 and 24, Mogherini will be the highest-ranked foreign policy EU official to visit the Cuba. She will meet with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, other government officials and non-governmental leaders such as such as Archbishop of Havana Cardinal Jaime Ortega.

"The European Union is eager to see how we can take the relationship forward with strong momentum," Mogherini said. "The EU has been closely following the developments in Cuba and its relations with key international players, which create new dynamics in the region and in Cuba itself, and provide new opportunities for all."

The EU removed sanctions on Cuba in 2008 and the is Cuba's second-largest trading partner.

The United States and Cuba are currently under negotiations to thaw relations after more than 50 years. Negotiations include the establishment of embassies and the possible removal of Cuba from the United State's list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

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Top EU foreign official Federica Mogherini to visit Cuba