Editorial

What happens in Libya on the subject of illegal immigration affects Europe and, most directly, Malta and Italy. It is through Libya, a transit country for illegal immigrants from mainly sub-Saharan Africa, that the bulk of asylum seekers and other irregular immigrants reach Malta.

It was, therefore, encouraging to read the news that, according to Tripoli, the Libyan police had detained 708 illegal immigrants trying to sail to Europe from Libya late last month.

The Libyan authorities also deported 1,213 would-be migrants in the October 22-31 period. This brings to at least 6,800 the number of migrants sent home since mid-September, going by figures released by Tripoli.

Reports from the Libyan Home Affairs Ministry, carried by the state news agency Jana and relayed by the international news service Reuters, stressed that the arrests and deportations were part of "sustained efforts by (the authorities) to crack down on illegal migration".

Libya has been under sustained pressure from the EU to take action within its own borders to halt illegal migration from its shores. It has, to date, appeared to be dragging its feet. Does this latest development signal a change of stance - a real willingness to take action to close this illegal gateway into southern Europe - or is it simply a tactical move to assuage European sensibilities at the fag end of the annual sailing season?

Libya regards itself as much the victim of illegal immigration as Malta or Italy. It is estimated that there may be anything between one million and 1.5 million immigrants in Libya. In a country with a population of about five million, this is a significant proportion. Its desert borders with sub-Saharan Africa stretch over 18,000 kilometres. Its maritime border is about 1,600 kilometres long. Libya argues, perhaps not unreasonably, that the task of policing such long borders is formidable and that it does not have the resources to cope.

But this begs the question: Why, if resources are so thin, was there such resistance by Libya to the EU's proposal - in which Malta played a significant role - to mount joint maritime patrols, under the direction of the EU agency Frontex to deter and turn back all boats suspected of carrying illegal immigrants from Libya's shores?

Human traffickers are exploiting thousands of people annually and placing them in manifest danger. This is intolerable, illegal and unacceptable on humanitarian grounds.

If Libya finds it difficult operationally to control human trafficking from its exposed coastline, the EU has shown it is willing to help. The concept of joint maritime patrols was designed with the intention of helping Libya to control human trafficking, and the tragedies that inevitably follow, from its own shores. The EU has also extended its offer of help to include the possibility of technical support in dealing with the steady influx of illegal immigrants who simply walk across the desert into Libya through its porous southern borders.

By its recent actions, Libya may well have signalled that, in keeping with its deliberate choice of re-integrating with the international community, it is now ready to engage proactively with the EU to deal with the unacceptable burden of illegal immigration placed on destination countries, such as Malta and Italy.

The short time between now and the spring should be used urgently and constructively to fashion joint Libyan/EU operations to deal with the problem at source. It is in the interest of both Libya and the EU, including, of course, Malta, that this should happen - and succeed.