Libya not keen on sea patrols

Libya is asking the EU for financial assistance to combat illegal immigration but is likely to maintain its strong resistance to sea patrols.

Ordering immigrants to do a U-turn to Libya is not the solution, Libyan Ambassador Saad El Shlmani told The Times in an interview.

Libya has agreed to take part in a tripartite meeting with Italy and Malta in the coming days as the Mediterranean grapples with a crisis of illegal immigration from Africa.

Malta will next week host a meeting of Frontex, the EU's border agency, to establish the logistics of launching joint border patrol missions in the centre of the Mediterranean. So far Libya has failed to reply to the EU's request for the patrols to cross into its territorial waters.

Keeping his traditional composed self, Dr El Shlmani made it clear his government is not enthusiastic about such a proposal, which the EU sees as a start to controlling the problem.

He says it will be difficult for his country to accept sea patrols because of "sovereignty, international law" and other legal implications.

Besides, one also had to take into consideration the potential risks of monitoring the seas, with the ambassador highlighting last week's accident when, he said, a patrol boat close to Lampedusa led to the tragic drowning of a number of immigrants.

Still, Dr El Shlmani says a lot hinges on the upcoming meeting between Libya, Malta and Italy.

"Maybe we will find the most suitable mechanism. This is an international problem, which needs an international solution. But maybe through discussion we will get better ideas. We're also thinking of holding a conference in Libya to discuss immigration."

The ambassador takes exception to claims that Libya is busier making promises about upcoming meetings, which often never take place, than taking concrete action.

"On the contrary there is more action than words. Unlike others we don't speak out loudly about our problems, but instead we do more on the ground."

A short-term solution, he suggests, lies in providing financial and technical help to Libya though the long-term solution lies in trying to eradicate African poverty.

"We need resources, we need machines, we need technology, we need vehicles. Some people think that because Libya is rich it can allocate all its funds to provide a service for others. If you want me to do this service, then you should pay for it. The EU is a rich entity," Dr El Shlmani says.

"Libya can stop the immigrants to a large extent but it needs a lot of help. The EU has a duty to help Libya instead of pointing fingers.

"We're doing more than what we should. But we do it because we believe it affects our relationship with our neighbours and because people are dying."

The ambassador spoke of the gargantuan problem faced by his country. There are an estimated one million illegal immigrants in Libya waiting to take the trip to Europe. Libya has stopped thousands of people from making the crossing, and in the last couple of years it has doubled its efforts. It has created a new coast guard organisation but there are still a lot of people entering from its southern borders.

The international community, he says, is asking for 30,000 people to monitor the 100-kilometre-long border between Israel and Lebanon. Imagine the resources Libya needs for its 6,000-kilometre border!

Apart from stopping immigrants it is also a difficult mission to deport them.

Is it internationally acceptable to send these people back to their country when they are fleeing because of war or prosecution, he asked.

"We would be criticised if we had to violate someone's rights, as would the EU. International law gives these people the right to seek refuge if they're in trouble. When there was the Spanish trawler dispute, Libya accepted to take some of them but then the immigrants themselves refused to go. Their objective is to reach countries further north."

Dr El Shlmani rejects suggestions that Libya is resisting Western scrutiny where human rights issues are concerned.

"Human rights groups are coming to Libya and visiting prisoners. We are proud of our human rights. The situation in Libya now is completely different."

So why are so many immigrants scared of being repatriated to Libya?

"Because they are looking for a much better life in Italy, Germany or Sweden. Even some Maltese will be happier living in Britain or the US."