The United Nations has urged Malta to accept recent amendments to maritime conventions, which ensure that a shipmaster's obligation to provide assistance in rescue situations is complemented by a corresponding commitment from governments.

Malta is one of the few countries that did not accept these amendments, the UN agency for refugees said yesterday from Geneva.

In recent weeks, several people seeking to reach Europe in small boats across the Mediterranean have been "ignored and left stranded" in the middle of the sea in life-threatening situations and clear distress.

It is the climax of a week of bad publicity for Malta, which has been criticised for failing to take in immigrants in distress, especially in the wake of the infamous tuna pen incident. On the other hand, Malta is contending that the incidents took place in Libyan rescue waters and that nobody should expect it to assume responsibility for the obligation of others. In the meantime, the Armed Forces of Malta were called out a number of times to rescue fleeing Africans, the latest such incident being reported on Thursday.

The UNHCR said it is very worried about the lack of a strong and uniform commitment by coastal states to allow for prompt disembarkation, which has resulted in some shipmasters ignoring their obligations and long-standing maritime tradition to help people in distress.

The UNHCR understands the challenges posed by the repeated arrivals of mixed groups of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in various Mediterranean countries but emphasises that the need for assistance to people in distress at sea should remain the first priority.

The agency said it is particularly concerned about the whereabouts of at least 53 people of mostly Eritrean origin who went missing more than a week ago between Libya and Malta.

The group, which includes 28 women and six children, was last seen by the AFM aboard a boat off the south coast on May 21.

The UNHCR recently received indications that the group may be in Libya and it was now in contact with the Libyan authorities in the hope of locating them, but without success so far.

While searching for the missing 53 migrants, Italian vessels rescued another group of 27 sub-Saharan nationals who had been clinging to fishing nets attached to a Maltese fishing boat for three "excruciatingly hot days and freezing nights". The owner of the tuna pen told The Times the immigrants had been clinging to the nets for 10 hours.

In a third incident on May 25, the Italian coast guard picked up another group of 52 individuals, including a child and seven women who had been spotted by a Maltese aircraft but did not send out a distress call, the UNHCR said.

A day later, a Spanish fishing boat rescued 26 people on a sinking boat about 100 nautical miles from both Libya and Malta and provided them with water, food, blankets and assistance. The people were not allowed to disembark in Libya or Malta, and have now been accepted for disembarkation in Spain.

"The UNHCR is grateful for the prompt humanitarian response by the Italian and Spanish crews who made the saving of lives their priority and in this context calls on all coastal states to fulfil their international obligation in respect of the law of the sea."

In view of the grave nature of these events, the UNHCR has urged the European Commission to take further steps to outline the responsibilities of member states to rescue lives at sea and to allow their disembarkation.

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