Italy only sent back immigrants coming from Egypt

Italy is only repatriating immigrants hailing from Egypt, The Guardian has reported.

It referred to a recent statement by the Italian Interior minister, Roberto Maroni, that all those arriving without authorisation would be held on the island until they were repatriated.

But the mayor of Lampedusa Bernardino De Rubeis told the paper: "You can expel an immigrant when you are certain of his or her country of origin, but not otherwise."

Mr De Rubeis threatened to call for a general strike on the island in protest at the hardline immigration policies of Silvio Berlusconi's government.

He launched his challenge as the number of people in Lampedusa's immigrant detention centre grew to 1,850 - a thousand more than its official capacity.

The Guardian said that so far, only two flights left the island, carrying some 50 migrants back to Egypt, with which Italy had a working repatriation agreement.

Similar deals with Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco existed only on paper and there were no agreements with war-torn countries, including Somalia, that account for many of the arrivals.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry had said following Mr Maroni’s comments that one should “wait and see”.

Malta has repatriated more than 900 immigrants coming from Egypt.