Friday, 10th October 2008 - 20:41CET
Fighting illegal migration is also fight against organised crime - PM
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this evening that illegal immigration was a major concern for Malta and Greece and the fight against this phenomenon was also a fight against international organised crime and against loss of life in the Mediterranean sea.
Speaking at a dinner in honour of Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, he said that Malta has registered a 50 per cent increase in immigrant arrivals compared to last year.
“In this respect, Frontex patrols are not only useful but need to be extended in scope and area, thus acting as a deterrent for would-be smugglers of human beings”
Malta, Dr Gonzi said, appreciated the support of Greece for a burden-sharing mechanism to be introduced in the area of illegal immigration to assist countries that, like Malta, faced disproportionate pressures on their asylum systems.
He said that the re-allocation system recently agreed to as part of the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum was one tangible example of such burden sharing.
Mr Karamanlis agreed that illegal migration was a problem of great scale and importance saying it directly afflicted both Malta and Greece countries and also involved and affected the whole of the European Union.
“European solidarity, therefore is crucial on this matter, since no country alone has the means to address this phenomenon, whereas it is a common European concern.”
Greece, Mr Karamanlis said, supported the European Pact on Migration and Asylum and believed that it was a significant step toward defining common European standards and towards European solidarity in this field.
“In the same direction, the reinforcement of the operational role of Frontex is of crucial importance. Additionally, the creation of a European Coastguard would contribute to facing current difficulties more effectively,” he said.
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Is anyone investigating the source and providers of the powerful outboard engines driving the rubber dinghies or the decrepit wooden tubs on which the hapless immigrants are loaded and set afloat? Has anyone investigated the owners of the expensive satellite phones carried by one person in every boatload? Wake up people. This is an organised racket of traffic of human beings and our authorities are doing nothing to bring any of these criminals to justice. Shame, shame and shame!
Action should have been taken years ago against this illegal invasion for a multitude of obvious reasons.
So yes, Gonzi, to his credit gave importance to this side this time round.
Lets hope it is not all words.
Yet unlike our government, which mainly focuses on burden sharing, his Greek counterpart gives more importance to the operational role of influx prevention and illegal traffic deterrence. That is why Malta should have not signed the agreement. Not because they do not want to burden share, but because they have to effectively defend more our borders.
Our govt. want to please everyone, which is impossible and it cant be. He wants to bring everything thrown at us, and burden it to the continent, begging in the process. He wants to be Christian on other countries' back, which of course, beg to differ.
It is not the first time that the Greek coast guards, which is not kind with immigrants, pushes them back to Turkey, even without the latter's consent.
There is no automatic absolute right to enter a country. With all this abuse and chaos, the issue is no longer of 'obligations'.
Somehow, sometime, this tide has to Stop. Unfortunately, when the problem reaches those who take decisions, our country will long be destabilised.
*We = Southern European countries
that's the problem these days, our leaders get so caught up in words that they don't actually SAY anything, much less DO..