Italy, Libya to run joint patrols

Italy and Libya have struck a deal for bilateral collaboration in the fight against illegal immigration and human trafficking, which will include joint patrols in Libyan waters.

Italy's Interior Minister Giuliano Amato announced yesterday that Italian police will soon be sent to Tripoli to go aboard Libyan vessels and a Libyan officer will be sent to Rome to help the Italian authorities coordinate the operation.

The development follows Libya's refusal last week to allow the start of EU patrols off the coasts of Malta and Lampedusa, in an area stretching towards Libya, known as the central Mediterranean route for migration. Those patrols were to have been run jointly by Malta, Italy and Greece.

Malta's stand on the Libya-Italy deal and how it will affect the island is as yet unknown.

The Times sought the reaction of the government but was told that both Foreign Minister Michael Frendo and Interior Minister Tonio Borg were unavailable for comment. Questions sent to the Office of the Prime Minister remained unanswered.

Last week Libya's Minister for Europe Abdulati Alobeidi revealed that Tripoli was objecting to the EU patrols, which were to take place under the auspices of the European border agency Frontex.

He had criticised European Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini for taking unilateral decisions without consulting Libya.

Following this objection the European Commission decided to postpone Operation Jason 1, which had been scheduled to start on September 7.

Addressing the European Parliament yesterday, Mr Frattini admitted that Frontex was in dire straits and was not coping with its mission in Spain's Canary Islands, which have been inundated by immigrants from Africa.

He said the agency employed 50 people and 32 of them were working on the Canary Islands project. Frontex was still in its infancy and had to be given time to perform, he added.

Mr Frattini criticised the EU Council, representing governments, for proposing to cut the agency's budget from €22 million to €19 million. He urged member states to show "concrete solidarity" and help Malta, Spain and Italy by dispatching planes, vessels and money for the Frontex missions.

Meanwhile, Spain has stepped up its fight against the influx of immigrants.

Declaring that it will accept no more of them, it yesterday repatriated about 1,000 Senegalese who had arrived over the past few days. Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega warned that from now on all illegal immigrants will start being sent back.

Spain, Italy and France have written jointly to the EU presidency to ask for illegal immigration to be put on the agenda of the upcoming EU Summit in Lahti, Finland scheduled for next month.

"We decided to approach the EU so that joint action against immigration is on the agenda of the informal summit in October and of the European Council in December," Prime Minister Romani Prodi, Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero and President Jacques Chirac told the presidency.

Spain is currently coordinating a proposal to be presented to EU leaders on behalf of the three countries.

Meanwhile, 21 illegal immigrants, claiming to be Somalis, were rescued by the Armed Forces of Malta yesterday.

A merchant ship which spotted the immigrants on a four-metre boat east of Malta signalled that the boat was in difficulty, and relayed an SOS on their behalf.

Army Patrol Vessel P51 was dispatched to the area where the boat was found drifting with the immigrants on board.

The patrol boat returned at the Maritime Squadron base at Haywharf at about 1 p.m. where the immigrants were reported to be in good health. The police are investigating.