LEAD: Envoy, cardinal in efforts to end Italy-India spat Eds: Adds Indian cleric's intervention, status of Italian marines

Rome/New Delhi (dpa) - A former United Nations diplomat and a top Indian Catholic cleric on Tuesday joined efforts to resolve a spat between Italy and India over the detention of two Italian marines who are accused of killing two Indian fishermen.

The Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Undersecretary Staffan De Mistura would travel to New Delhi later Tuesday to negotiate with Indian officials.

Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi is to visit the Indian capital on February 28.

On February 15, the marines, who were deployed as guards on the oil tanker Enrica Lexie, allegedly fired at the fishermen off the coast of the southern Indian state of Kerala, after apparently mistaking them for pirates.

The fishermen - Gelastine, 45, and Ajesh Binki, 25 - were killed.

The marines were taken into custody on Sunday. On Monday evening, a magistrate in Kerala remanded the two to 14 days‘ judicial custody and said the police would have custody for the first three days to question them.

The Italian ministry‘s statement reiterated that Italy considered India‘s decision to detain the two marines as "unilateral," following criticism by Terzi on Monday of the Indian government‘s handling of the case.

Italy argues that India has no jurisdiction since the incident took place in international waters, some 32 nautical miles from the Indian coast.

Italy also says an autopsy on the bodies of the fishermen was needed to determine whether they were killed by bullets fired from guns used by the marines.

The two marines face murder charges and could receive the death sentence if convicted.

In India, Archbishop George Alencherry of Ernakulam-Angamaly - a diocese in the fishermen‘s home state of Kerala - said he would attempt to mediate in the crisis, reported the Rome-based Catholic news agency, Fides.

Alencherry, who was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome on Saturday, said he had learned with "great sadness" of the killing of the two Catholic fishermen, but warned against an escalation of tensions.

"Many errors have been committed in this episode, since fishermen were mistaken for pirates but ... it seems that the opposition party (in Kerala) is attempting to exploit the case for electoral reasons, while speaking of ‘Western powers‘," Fides quoted Alencherry as saying.

"I will remain in close contact with the Catholic ministers of (the government of) Kerala, hoping that they can help to pacify the situation," Alencherry said.

He said that he hoped an intervention by Kerala Tourism Minister SV Thomas in particular would help matters.

Also Tuesday, the family of one of the fishermen, Gelastine, asked the Kerala High Court for more than 200,000 dollars in compensation.

Rajesh Martin, a Catholic priest and relative of Gelastine, said of the compensation: "We feel that would be the amount required for his children‘s education and for future needs."

The family has asked for the Italian oil tanker be held in the port of Kochi until the money is paid, the IANS news agency reported.

Several fishermen‘s groups held a protest march in Kollam town and Kerala state capital Thiruvananthapuram demanding strong action against the Italians. dpa pwm su hm ar Authors: Peter Mayer, Sunrita Sen