Thursday, 9th April 2009
Frontex patrols delay
Send rescued immigrants to Malta, Italy says
Italy had objected before
Italy's objections to accept illegal migrants were stalling the launch of this year's Frontex patrols in the Mediterranean, EU sources said.
The sources, close to the ongoing negotiations, insisted that Italy was objecting to take any of the illegal immigrants that could be plucked to safety from the sea during the Nautilus IV mission. It wanted all such migrants to be taken to Malta instead.
"We have been trying to convince Italy over the past weeks that the Frontex mission will have to follow international rules that clearly lay down that survivors have to be taken to the closest safe port," the sources said.
"However, Italy is still objecting to take to Lampedusa illegal immigrants rescued when the new mission starts. It is instead arguing they should all be taken to Malta as the host member state of this mission."
The sources said Malta was strongly objecting to Italy's arguments: "Malta is sticking to its position that this year's mission should abide by the rules of engagement already established in past missions. This means that when immigrants are found outside its territorial waters they would be picked up by the mission's assets and taken to the closest safe port as dictated by international rules".
A Frontex spokesman contacted by The Times in Warsaw kept mum over the issue, saying the EU agency did not want to make any negotiations through the media.
"Frontex does not announce the exact date of the launch of its operations. All I can say at this moment is that Operation Nautilus IV has not started. Frontex, together with the relevant stakeholders, is currently working on the finalisation of the operational plan," the spokesman said, confirming the delay.
The Maltese government also declined to comment.
A spokesman would only say that "technical discussions are still ongoing and we hope this year's Frontex mission will be able to start soon".
This is not the first time Italy has adopted such a stand in the run-up to Frontex coordinated anti-migration patrols. Two years ago, during the Romano Prodi government, Italy had first declined to take part in the Nautilus mission, claiming it was not interested in joining other member states as long as Libya was not involved. Then, following the personal intervention of then EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini, who today is Italy's Foreign Minister, the Italian government changed its position and participated.
Italy had also raised objections prior to last year's mission, claiming it did not want to be responsible for any illegal immigrants saved in the Libyan search and rescue area.
The issue was resolved following diplomatic interventions and it was agreed that, in Libya's absence, the rescued illegal immigrants would be taken to the closest safe haven.
Frontex's executive director Ilka Laitinen had said then that the international rules on division of responsibility in such missions were very clear.
"First and foremost, the main responsibility is of the country in whose search and rescue area the incident takes place.
"In the case where it is not possible for that country to admit such people, or is not willing (as in Libya's case), the second rule is that the immigrants have to be taken to the closest safe haven."
This year's Nautilus mission is the fourth anti-migration EU patrol operation to be coordinated by the EU's borders control agency Frontex in the Sicily-Malta-Libya region.
It was supposed to be the longest ever to be conducted by Frontex with a budget of over €10 million.
For the first time, a similar mission is also supposed to start in the Mediterranean on May 15, jointly held by Italy and Libya inside the North African country's territorial waters.
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Comments
Why not give immigrants that arrive in Malta, the Maltese (EU) citizenship and a FREE air ticket to any EU country (give them citizenship on condition they leave). That would make EU reason until they give a more feasible burden sharing options.
In my opinion Malta is already overcrowded with these illegal immigrants and the number of them should be reduced not increased!
Also I think that Frontex will increase the number of illegal immigrants coming to Malta!
Henri Miceli: And flooding Europe with semi-skilled, semi literate Africans will be a benefit how, exactly?
I am hoping that our Government is waking up to their tricks this year, we as Maltese are fed up with this situation, we as the Italians and the rest of Europe are fed up with these people coming over and expecting to be given free welfare, money.
What more, rich people are taking advantage of these people and employing them as cheap labour, a few of the villas in Marsascala are employing them as cleaners and odd job personal, they should be ashamed in doing so, hope that the Government will check on these owners and to see if they are paying NI contributions into the system.
A very nice example of BURDEN SHARING! Well done Dr. Gonzi, negotiations work great. Unfortunately, sometimes one needs more than just negotiations and nice words. That's why Dr Gonzi, history is a series of wars, because not always countries respect the rights of each other.
If this is how big countries want to treat tiny Malta, it is far better for us to leave the European Union! What we have now are higher prices and a lower standard of living.
Europe does not respect us. Its behaviour is similar to an "I don't care" attitude towards Malta.
We for so many times have gone against the eu rules lets do it again now for our sakes.
So as Malta is under pressure from foes as well as so-called friends, it's good to know that some Maltese are further adding to the pressure by an unending campaign in favour of illegal immigrants.
At this repeated type of behaviour, the Maltese government might well decide to kick out their Italian Military Mission, long-established here as a well known southernmost outpost for NATO observation and surveillance operations of the Libyan coast. Italian combat diver swimmers out of Italian submarines have chronicled in their memoirs their reconnaissance of Tripoli harbour, citing their training instructor roles in Malta as their cover roles.
Each member of any military organisation remains a security service operative on national or foreign territory, be they engineers or coastguard. What intelligence has been gathered over the years by Italian military in Malta on the politcal and military willingness and capabilities of the Maltese, only serves to fuel their proactive patrolling efforts south of Malta, diverting when they can African migrants smack into Malta.
With their over-the-horizon airborne surveillance capabilities, Italy remains with an advantage in anticipating boatpeople arrivals too.
All I know is that when Maltese needed rescuing they couldn't be found and yet illegal immigrants have no problem in being rescued.
Italy, our so called ally in the EU, is once again trying to bully Malta. What treachery! Instead of accepting it's responsibility and international obligations, and facing up to the fact that what is happening is partly due to it's colonisation and mishandling of the African countries from whence the illegal immigrants hail, is putting yet more pressure on it's neighbouring country Malta.
The Libyans can refuse to take back their illegal immigrants, the Italians can refuse to take them to Lampedusa, yet tiny Malta seems unable to do anything but accept them all, despite the fact that the situation here is untenable and the burden is unbearable for our tiny country!
Government of Malta, stand up for your country NOW, BEFORE ALL IS LOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hopefully if a large country like Italy speaks someone will listen. .......or maybe wishful thinking.......
You and bloggers like you never lose a chance to show your hatred of Italy at the least provocation coming from those quarters, believing and interpreting statements made in your own way, without bothering to check the facts and circumstances.
We have now been told that the agreement with the EU did not work. As if we did not know this. Only a few were so naive to believe it. And now .....................
I say, why not share the burden with other countries, members of the EU, who have their coasts in med. sea?
Like, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and the rest.
Each will take a percentage according to the size of their country. Like that, no one will suffer.
May some day, these countries will understand what we here in Malta are having to deal with.
Why does not our Government adopt drastic measures as other countries are doing at out expense? How right we were to advise that burden sharing was only ploy in EU countries’ hands to shift the burden on Malta. But no, our Government never listens to its citizens or is too naïve when bargaining with our ‘friends and neighbours’. Our Government is only good at nodding and accepting other countries proposals.
It would be interesting to see what reaction Dr Mifsud Bonnici can come up with in the face of such disturbing proposals made by the Italian Government.
Where is the burden sharing ?
Where are the equal rights for EU Citizens ?
We are just becoming the scum bag of the EU, just swallowing all the cons and wishing for the pros.
When will our countrymen wake up and fight this severe injustice.
` MAKKU TAL-EWROPA !! ` nahseb kellu naqra ragun wara kollox.....
Time will tell......
However, I do not agree with people saying to use Veto, etc. In the long term it will pay back negatively. What we must do is (within the law) create corridors for immigrants to arrive to italy.
Be it resolved that the Frontex patrol boats carry with them, on board, a few of the boats the immigrants brought to Malta or Lampedusa, fully serviced and fueled, and when 'survivors' are hauled on board due to bad weather, care for them for a day or two (on board) until weather improves and when it does put them on these boats and send them (or better, escort them) back in the direction they came from.
Then neither Italy nor Malta will be subjected to increased immigrants and dissuade others from crossing the seas.
This action is humanitarian since the safety of the would be immigrants is guaranteed while the aims of both Italy and Malta will be achieved.
why hasn't the government rebutted this statement yet!!!!!!
So much for the eu states voluntary burden sharing of illegal immigration.
This is the most original suggestion to solve the illegal immigrants problem.
That will surely be 'a burden sharing' exercise.
Up to now, neither Gonzi nor Muscat came up with such a bright idea in defining 'burden sharing'
Isn't that lovely. That's called Burden Sharing. Thanks to our friends in Europe.
We are alone in this one, and we'd better act alone.
"In the case where it is not possible for that country to admit such people, or is not willing (as in Libya's case), the second rule is that the immigrants have to be taken to the closest safe haven."
These two statements say it all. Libya seems to be above international law and can get away with anything. I liken it to a naughty child whose parents prefer not to scold him in case he throws a tantrum. in Malta's case we have the reputation of being more Christian than the Pope and always willing to bend over backwards to help others, (besides being small and not an oil producing country) If the question of Libya is not addressed and resolved I fear that this crises will continue to escalate and the loser will be the smallest player involved and no guessing who that might be.
On the 15th of may Italy and Libya are supposed to begin their joint mission. Anyone holding his breath is advised to exhale now!
First of all we won’t host anything to shoot ourselves in the foot.
Second more illegal immigrant boats may be able to by-pass the Malta territorial waters and reach other destinations. The majority of Frontex ships will be lurking in this part of Mediterranean between Libya and Malta. Therefore these will be able to catch illegal crossing early when nearer to Malta as port of safety and before ever having chance of nearing Italy’s shores.
As we already have a helping hand from Italy’s reconnaissance to inform the AFM of any crossing boats in difficulty!
If Italy"our brothers and friends' acting with us this way-why should Libya act differently?
Illegal Immigrants and the economic crisis both are putting relations between EU member states under strain and testing the fundamentals of the European Union to an unprecedented extent. The sense of solidarity within Europe, between east and west, rich and poor, new and old is under strain.
I think, what Libya Col. Gadafi is doing is simply testing EU values by sending Human that would like to find their ‘better observed’ rights in EU. Any ‘inhuman’ suggestions send wrong signals to EU and equally proving to Gaddafi that EU values are mere slogans, this is of course, unless EU got a different definition for humans.
To my knowledge EU human rights chapters never mentioned the legal status of humans.
Oh how come we did not think of that one before!!
Things are not so simple, you cannot severe diplomatic ties with a neighbouring country with such a move.
Apart from declarations, words and so on, reality shows that this is still the only policy the EU has for illegal immigrants in Malta. They want us to take increasing numbers of them NOW while promising a solution sometime in the future – in the meantime they will give us money to make us shut up. Good thing they find some Maltese do-gooders siding with them!
Dear ITALY in view of the fact that the subject is immigration and the operation of an EU agency FRONTEX , and considering the fact that in tackling the same problem with our Libyan neighbours you were prepared to compensate Libya for Italian colonialism, you can trust in our CONTINUED COOPERATION on this problem, as well as our CONTINUED SUPPORT for ITALY'S ECONOMIC INTERESTS IN LIBYA, but on CONDITION that you apologize to the Maltese for Italy's actions in 1940, and pay us full INDEMNITY for the material destruction of Maltese lives and properties caused by the Italian aerial bombings on Malta in World War II.
PS A Sincere APPEAL to all Maltese Citizens to DONATE generously for the victims of the tragedy in Abruzzo.
If you are an anti Gonzi, I dont mind You comment, but to say ( Dr Gonzi is happy you are not living in the same Loved country Malta ! cisssss,
Our Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi, Will handle this issue to Our great Satisfaction, meaning Malta, as he done in every micro bit to Malta as Alway's and in the Future !
So stop Jumping to conclusions Habib.
“Malta the Alcatraz of the Mediterranean”!
Will our government stand up to this provocation from our supposed friends?
During World War II, Italy dropped “Bombs” on Mata and today Italy is dropping “Illegal Immigrants”.
With “friends” like these, who needs “enemies”?
../..
This shows the arrogance of the colonizers who after stealing all the nations natural resources and left them destitute want to lump the illegal immigrants on us instead of shouldering their responsibilities towards the illegal immigrants. Somalia and Eritrea are the countries of most of the illegal immigrants and both were Italian colonies.
WE SHOULD STOP RECEIVING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND REPATRIATE ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN MALTA.
It is no secret that Frattini's plan for Malta is to make it the Alcatraz of the Mediterranean. And Dr Gonzi is happy with the 'voluntary' burden sharing non-agreement.