Friday, 11th July 2008
Frontex no solution as Libya fails to cooperate
Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi
Frontex has admitted that its patrols in the Mediterranean are not the answer to Malta's illegal immigration problem because Libya continues to resist cooperation.
Statistics seen by The Times show that, despite having been in operation for six months, the Frontex mission - the biggest that it has coordinated off Malta's shores - has not prevented the number of illegal immigrants from soaring. Last year, in the first six months, 769 illegal immigrants landed on Maltese shores. This year, the number had already reached 896 by June 30, an increase of 16 per cent.
Asked whether these statistics prove that the EU's mission is not working, a spokesman for Frontex, the EU border security agency, admitted that the operation is not Malta's solution to illegal immigration. Without mentioning Libya by name, he insisted that cooperation by countries from where the illegal immigrants leave is crucial.
"The number of people arriving in Malta will not decrease automatically thanks to this joint operation as this takes place in international waters where the international law of the sea applies," the spokesman explained. He made it clear that Frontex cannot in any way stop a boat carrying illegal immigrants in international waters and does not have the mandate to do so.
"Assets deployed in the Nautilus III mission can only follow the boat carrying would-be immigrants and apprehend them when they enter the territory of one of the EU member states."
Asked whether this effectively means that Malta is getting more immigrants as a result of increased patrols in international waters, the spokesman answered that the operations are still a deterrent to criminal organisations.
Sources close to Frontex admitted that "if Libya keeps ignoring calls from the EU, its member states and Frontex to cooperate in the patrolling of its sea borders, the current surveillance patrols in the Mediterranean coordinated by the EU's border agency cannot be effective."
It is an open secret that almost all the illegal immigrants arriving in Malta start their voyage from Libyan ports. Despite regular meetings held over the past four years between the EU and Libya, apart from diplomatic pressure exerted by Malta and Italy on Tripoli to start cooperating in these patrols, Libya has refused to do so. It has made it clear that Frontex patrols are not allowed to enter its territorial waters.
Italian government sources confirmed that a bilateral agreement between Italy and Libya signed last year for joint patrols between the two countries has not been implemented by Libya.
On the other hand, another Frontex mission similar to Nautilus III, held in the waters between the Spanish Canary Island and West Africa, is producing different results thanks to the cooperation of Senegal and Mauritania, the countries of origin of illegal immigrants in that part of Africa.
According to Frontex, since the start of this mission, called Hera, 2,383 illegal immigrants were turned back to Senegal and Mauritania and 79 criminals organising the trips were arrested.
The Frontex spokesman said that the main difference between Hera and Nautilus is that Senegal and Mauritania are on board.
"Thanks to an agreement signed between Spain and these two countries, on board of each member state's patrolling vessel, there is a Senegalese and Mauritanian officer who have the right to order the boat of would-be illegal immigrants to turn back," the spokesman said.
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Comments
If you do not want to be accomplices to this farce you can still do away with the vote. Besides, comedy is in the eye of the beholder, and for some if not many, we already have comedians at the helm and opposing.
protest vote.
Hands off Malta please
There are actually a lot more to it than just irregular immigration. Many post overplays that issue
Its no longer a matter of a civilized complain by a genuine Maltese citizen. The topic of irregular immigrants has bestowed xenophobic and racist peoples a good cloak to come into sight patriots like! All this in my opinion doesn’t reflect good on Malta’s image internationally and we get slammed year after year by organizations like AI.
Europe values are clear. No place for xenophobic and racist peoples
All anti-Immigrants parties will eventually be flushed away, similar to what happened in Malta.
Please Dr. Simon Busuttil, say something. As we all know that you are the most competent person in this matter and you are our "porta-voce" in Brussels, we expect some reactions from you and please kindly put our minds at rest !!!.
To all who mentioned ANR, AN or Mr. Norman Lowell. Please note that:
When we vote for general election, we are programmed into two colors blue and red. Unless our programmed political approach is decoded every thing would remain the same.
Yes, we have some floaters and also many pressure groups such as (hunters, gays, lesbians, pro-drugs, feces-eater, and urine-addicts), but all these, remain pressure groups. The more days goes by, we become more ‘open minded’ and ‘modern’, consequently voters expectations may vary and increase. No party would fulfill all people’s anxiety.
Mr. Lowell, can win over any of our local good comedians, for a short while though. Those types of peoples can also impress an audience of laymen with some technical words they use haphazardly. Sincerely, I doubt if they know the meaning of the big words they use. I am sure, if Mr. Lowell, is elected as our MEP, he will be shipped back to Malta in less than six months,
As far as ANR and AN are concerned, peoples should understand that the way they do politics in Brussels requires professional politicians, not kids in diapers!
Our southern neighbour has declared a demographical destabilisation war on us and Europe, and in times of 'war', people would not think much in 'pity' terms. No matter what photos are brought. Concern, powerlesness and lack of being in control is overwhelming any other thing, and this desensitisation is going to grow with the escalation of the problem.
Now one can doubt this piece of human nature.
The psychological effect of such photos is being short lived at best, to even parental blame for those putting their children at risk.
Who can blame us?
Oh and we're still in the begining of July, we have quite a long way to go yet.
Jahasra! Msieken! Ejja ndahhlu ghaxar telef ohra!
Let's see whether the censor -- oops sorry, I meant moderator -- lets this comment through, or as so often happens, he 'disappears' it.
Dear MEP & local authorities don’t you think that the budget allocated to Frontex (8M Euro) should be put to better use. Like for instance the upkeep of the illegal immigrants. Because for all the fuss and lip service the influx of illegal immigrant will not end!
EU should show its teeth and tell the Libyan leader Gaddafi to co-operate. Is this Gaddafi's way to pay us (Maltese) back? Long is the time when we were called blood-brothers(!)- but this was only an excuse to exploit our position and fool our government of the time. With friends like these, who needs enemies?
It will have to come from someone with enough guts to say enough is enough and stand to everybody, including the international community.
Should Colonel Gaddafi complain, we should tell him : "When they crossed the border from Chad or Algeria you did not complain. So why should you complain now? Its the same thing but from a different side of your border."
It is time the EU showed muscle with the Gadaffi. Or else go cry to Bush for help - how we did during the yugoslav war because we didn\t have the b^*#s to deal with it. What a joke this EU !
Can anyone come up with a legal, Christian and humanitarian solution to this problem - it seems impossible.
It excorts them safely to Malta.
With EU friends like these, who needs enemies?