Malta, Italy row over migrants

Ray de Bono

Apr 20th 2009, 09:30

In the event that Malta has an agreement with Italy that it is responsible for search & rescue in the waters stretching between the tip of Tunisia and Crete, albeit this sound ludicrous, Malta should live up to its word. Italy has over the last 30 years been a close friend to Malta, with both finance and investments. Given we believe we are a grown-up state, playing with the BIG boys and an EU member, Malta has behave as such. We should not try to attract pity simply cos we are a small country, an agreement/understanding must be adhered to.

Marco Stancanelli

Apr 20th 2009, 09:13

For those that are insulting Maroni..Have at least the decency of shutting up... now we have to take all the immigrants found in YOUR zone. That ship had no need to go to lampedusa, since it was in good conditions, the fact that lampedusa was closer means NOTHING.

Lawrence Martinelli

Apr 19th 2009, 12:24

@ lgalea = You & most others , I think , are completely right.
No matter what one puts in it = an omelette remains an omelette.
Signor Maroni should be ashamed = Does he realize that , trying to dump 150 boat people
in Malta , is like accepting ONE in Lampedusa ?
Lampedusa is part of Italy.....it has an escape panel.....Italy.
Regarding Signor Frattolini......plenty of Italian islands to use as "concentration camps ".
I have the sneaking feeling there is still a grudge towards Malta due to not so distant
past......a past that should have taught......Malta is not pushed around easily.

v.pulis

Apr 19th 2009, 10:52

To make myself clear whenI wrote that "We should accept migrants when Malta is the nearest land." I meant it in a sense that we should and must save lives if they are in peril. I further reiterate that after rescuing them we should find ways to send them back where they came from. now this could be either to their native country or to the last country from where they left.

P Attard

Apr 19th 2009, 10:50

I think the original wish and desitnation of the migrants should be taken into consideration in the current difficult circumstances that they are facing. The NHCR may wish to ask the migrants, through the ship's captain: (1) where the migrants intended to go when they left port, (2) where they now wish to land, (3) whether they ever thought of landing in Malta. The migrants should not be sent to a country they do not want to live / work in. The NHCR could also, perhaps, intervene with Libya to accept them back.

ROMAIN GALEA

Apr 19th 2009, 09:07

IT IS SAD THAT THE UNHCR HAS NOT ACKNOLEDGED THE SIMPLE FACT THAT RESCUE MATERILIASED ONLY 40 KMS AWAY FROM LAMPEDUSA - THREE TIMES THE DISTANCE FROM THE MALTESE PORTS AND HENCE, ITLAY'S RESPONSABILITY CELARLY MANIFESTS ITSELF.

lgalea

Apr 18th 2009, 22:12

William Santelli
Yes William, NEVER. We have no obligation whatsoever towards the IILLEGAL immigrants as we were never their colonizers like Italy. If Italy does not want to take them they should not be dumped upon us but repatriated by Italy itself. I am not blaming Italy and other EU countries for not wanting them but it is wrong for Italy to try to lump them on us. Yes it is a BIG problem for all of Europe, but the EU is getting it all wrong because instead of repatriating ALL illegal immigrants it is trying to lump them on us in Malta. That is why they ordered the Maltese government to remove the reservations to the refugee convention when other eu countries still have them and it is a shame that our lackey pn government submitted to it. It did this because it knew that we would be its southern frontier and would be lumping the illegal immigrants and would have to keep them here under Dublin II. Italy should be repatriating them and telling the eu to stop its integration policy. Do you remember Frattini saying he wanted to make Malta an open illegal immigrants centre?

Carmel caruana carabez

Apr 18th 2009, 19:45

The Italian reaction is as clearly illegal as it is panicky. It is a shame that a single country -Libya- is causing all this consternation to European countries. The time shall come when Libya realises that the game it is playing has higher stakes than it thought, and might involve its liberty.

v.pulis

Apr 18th 2009, 19:30

@ William Santelli
So..When should Malta accept immigrants...Never?
Wrong, We should accept migrants when Malta is the nearest land. otherwise migrants picked up South of Crete will be brought to malta. Take a look at the vast area allocated to us as our SAR. Malta should insist that this area is reduced to more credible proportions. I doubt if our patrol boats can go so far. Coincidentally our SAR region covers the Libyan coast's length exactly.

L. Gauci

Apr 18th 2009, 19:29

Minister Maroni is understandably angry at being fooled by Gaddafi. Some time ago, he had boasted that the problem of illegal immigration had been solved. After the Italians had paid billions of euros to Libya, Gaddafi had promised to stop more africans from crossing to Europe. But a few days later two boatloads reached Lampedusa.
However, to vent his anger on Malta and accuse us of not honouring our international obligations, is unacceptable. Does Maroni expect this tiny island to take all the illegal immigrants that decide to risk their lives to reach Europe? The aim of these Africans is to go to some country on Europe and not to come to Malta.
I hope that Minister Mifsud Bonnici will not give on to Maroni's bullying.

M. Baron

Apr 18th 2009, 19:10

sur stephen caruana

ghadni kif hrigt sparat mid-dar ha nixtri kappel ha nkun nista nnehhih ghalik....prosit tassew..hafna maltin raw il-menu attraenti ta l-ewropa u insew li il-kont irid jasal ukoll...bieghu is-sovranita taghhom ghal kumdita.

E. Azzopardi

Apr 18th 2009, 18:36

And why do our dearest friends the Italians change their mind now all of a sudden? This did not happen until the last boat nearest to Lampedusa was taken in. Why the change of heart now? As we say, is their something behind this? First, we'd better be aware and secondly we have now to show our teeth and bite if necessary. We are being targeted from all corners.
Is it because this is Malta and we are small? Mr Verheugen told us, just a few days ago, that we have the same weight as Germany, France, Italy and all the others. Mind you, he was not the first one as we heard it many times before. When I hear this, I always give a smirky smile!!!!! Having said that, IF we have all this weight, why don't we use it??

louise vella

Apr 18th 2009, 18:14

Italians are not stupid! The following is a reader's comment to the news story in corriere.it:

E l'autostrada in Libia?

18.04|18:03humphrey

Pochi mesi fa il presidente del consiglio aveva siglato un accordo, a suo dire "epocale", con il colonnello libico per fermare gli imbarchi dei poveri diavoli verso l'Italia. I risultati si vedono. Dopo la passerella televisiva dei vari ministri e primo ministro tutto é tornato come prima, anzi peggio di prima. Gli sbarchi sono aumentati, così come il numero sempre crescente dei "clandestini". E adesso il ministro degli esteri scarica tutto su Malta. Siamo a posto!

STEPHEN CARUANA

Apr 18th 2009, 18:04

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SAID THAT UNLESS WE DON'T JOIN THE EU WE WERE GOING TO JOIN THE AFRICANS, NOW THAT WE HAVE JOINED THE EUROPEANS WE ARE BECOMING AFRICANS MORE THAN EUROPEANS!!! WHERE IS THE EU MOST TALKED ABOUT "SOLIDARITY" KULHADD JAGHMEL KIF JAQBILLU CAFCFU PAPRI GHAX HEKK JIXIRQILKOM LA HLOMTU LI MALTA KBIRA DAQS DAWK LI HAKMUHA.

Eugenio Taliana

Apr 18th 2009, 17:56

Best solution in this case - ask the migrants on board this ship where they want to go . . . Italy or Malta? and see what they say!

Edric Micallef Figallo

Apr 18th 2009, 17:54

By the way, as the word limit didn't allow me in my previous post. Well done to the minister Mifsud Bonnici which is definitely in the right on this question, we should all encourage him to stay firm and encourage the government to use this case to exert greater pressure at European level.

Maroni's blathering towards EU commissioner Barrot is laughable, for Barrot was here recently and has clearly seen the Maltese situation. If the EU dares to act contrary to Malta's interest, only the EU's credibility will suffer. The deputy president of the European Commission Verheugen had even stronger words such as "immediate revolution" due to Malta's situation and the like. Time for the EU to speak less and act more, that is all that the Maltese want and the Italians want the same. Maroni didn't hesitate to speak about our common efforts at EU level, and he was in Malta a few months back. His sudden turn is offensive to right reason and must be based on ulterior motives. Refer to this - http://www.interno.it/mininterno/export/sites/default/it/sezioni/sala_stampa/notizie/2100_500_ministro/0504_2009_04_17_panmediterranea.html

Edric Micallef Figallo

Apr 18th 2009, 17:40

William Santelli is right, but such a notion of common European action is denied by Italy itself. Pity, for for post-Independence Malta Italy has been our closest friend. Many of my Italian friends and acquaintances are shocked by this attitude of the Italian government, most of them coming from centre/right-wing formations. Malta is by far worse than Italy when it comes to illegal immigration and the assertions of Roberto Maroni are unacceptable. Today the kind Frattini adds insult to injury. Frattini, that idiot that as an EU commissioner had proposed turning Malta into a huge detention centre. This against a populace that has just expressed its solidarity to the Abruzzo victims in its capital city.

I believe in a greater, stronger and united Europe. Yet the EU must answer by facts to this problem. Otherwise, we Maltese should reassess the European Union. If this is the Europe that we shall be getting, I'll be proud to state that I'm an EU-skeptic and many more shall join in, from all political persuasions. The EU is young, yet its reactions are senile. If this is the way, EU flag waving shall soon fall out of fashion in Malta.

E. Grima

Apr 18th 2009, 17:22

Dr.Carm Mifsud Bonnici keep it up for standing firm - this is the Maltese cry, be our voice, help us defending our interest, we should help but not to the extent that we create more problems for ourselves like we have already created by this problem of illegal imigration. Think on how many Maltese people are suffering by this problem .Inkun Hanin Iva imma mhux Gifa

Lawrence Martinelli

Apr 18th 2009, 17:02

Mathematics = 154 " boat visitors" to Malta equals ONE = I repeat ONE = such visitors
to Italy. Yet Signor Maronini - Frattolini - Napolini - not to mention the last famous " lini " -
are crying " wolf "......shame on you = trying to dump them on " Dwarf Elephant" Malta !!!!
Need any further comments be added ?

louise vella

Apr 18th 2009, 17:02

Congratulations to Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici for standing firm and defending Malta's interests. Such a strong stance, if continued, will go a long way towards stopping or containing the invasion of Malta by illegal immigrants.

William Santelli

Apr 18th 2009, 16:00

v.pulis,lgalea...So..When should Malta accept immigrants...Never? In your way of thinking, this is only an Italian problem. Well, this is Wrong. You're thinking as UE.
This is not an Italian problem, and this is not a Maltese problem.
It's an EUROPEAN problem, immigrants are OUR problems. So please, stop it with speaking about history and colonies.
I say: why mediterrenean immigrants should be only ITALIAN AND MALTESE problems?
Malta is in the Mediterranean Sea, not in Pacific Ocean.
The only way to solve this problem is to act UNITE. Without these stupid polemics, from both countries. These polemics will not stop if you will say that this is only an Italian problem.
If Malta claims the right to refuse that boat, why should Italy do not do the same?

The only solution is: RETURN TO SENDER, as says Joseph Calleja .
And please, don't make as Ponzio Pilato, don't wash your hands. Saying that all the immigrants are ex- Italian colonies is a pathetic excuse.
So, it's all imputable to British Empire, French Empire etc.in your way of thinking.. Nigeria, Marocco, Tunisia were NOT Italian colonies.
I'm sorry for my bad English...

Nathalie Dimech

Apr 18th 2009, 14:48

@ Anthony Baldacchino

you're mixing fishing and oil exploration with something totally unrelated. Plus you are also incorrect. Malta's exclusive zone for fisheries is 25 miles, so anything fished out of the waters beyond that limit is not exclusively Maltese. As for the rest, go tell it to the Maronis

v.pulis

Apr 18th 2009, 14:32

@ William Santinelli
If what you say is true then lampedusa, Linosa and half of the mediterranean as far as Crete is maltese territory because that is how far Mata's SAR extends. Ancient Rome used to boast of Mare Nostrum. How ironic!

Yves Cali

Apr 18th 2009, 14:22

Congratulations to Minister Mifsud Bonnici on this one. The law is clear and it has not been breached in any way by Malta. To be fair the Italian media is only reporting the matter but not taking sides.

That said it would be interesting to know where Arnold Cassola stands on this issue.

J.Spiteri

Apr 18th 2009, 14:14

At the moment the Government is acting right, actually I would refuse all entries of illegal immigrants picked up by any vessel, this will show we mean business and put pressure on the EU and Frontex .
Maybe we should take note of JPO and Josie Muscat what they said in the past about this situation, first and foremost we must all have the best interest of Malta not EU or Italy, so far regarding the EU all we heard is promises, the money they gave is JUDA'S pay off.

Joseph Calleja

Apr 18th 2009, 13:55

The only solution is to send these people to where they came from. There is no other solution. The more you take, the more they come, so find out where they are coming from and return them to their point of origin. That is the only solution left. We take them, more will be encouraged to come, so solve this problem once and for all.. RETURN TO SENDER

M Manicolo

Apr 18th 2009, 13:55

Stick to your guns Dr. Mifsud Bonnici

lgalea

Apr 18th 2009, 13:18

William Santelli
Italy was one of their colonizers so either Italy lumps them or send them back to their own countries itself. We do NOT want any illegal immigrants in Malta and shall not rest until the last one leave for good never to come back.

You say they are in Maltese waters, so will Italy let us drill for oil and gas where the illegal immigrants were found? Or does this apply to illegal immigrants and not to oil, gas and other resources? No Santelli, they must be taken to the nearest port, Lampedusa, and we support our government for not accepting illegal immigrants. We shall make sure that what Francesco Frattini wanted, to turn Malta and Cyprus into illegal immigrants open centres shall not happen.

Mark Borg

Apr 18th 2009, 13:13

The stand taken by Maroni seems to echo the proposal made some time ago by his collegue Frattini when he proposed that Malta should become Europe's detention centre for illegal migrants!

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando M.P.

Apr 18th 2009, 13:02

Minister Maroni seems to find it very convenient to point his finger at Malta when it comes to accusations related to international obligations. Is he the only one who is unaware of the root of the problem? Is he unaware of the fact that this wave of humanity crossing into Europe illegally from the shores of North Africa is doing so using an organised shuttle service from two Libyan ports? Could Italian commercial interests have something to do with this blinkered approach to diplomacy? Shame on you sir.

Anthony Baldacchino

Apr 18th 2009, 12:46

For fishing and oil exploration those are Maltese national waters, for picking up migrants they are not?????????????

William Santelli

Apr 18th 2009, 12:29

Where is the UE? People forgot the REAL PROBLEM. Italy and Malta have the same "problem" : they are in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. So the other countries think this is our problem. WRONG! Let's pick up all that immigrants and bring them to the Bruxelles Parliament!
The UE is a merchant Union, they think only about money.
Another solution: is the immigrants boat leaving from Libya? The boat shoud RETURN there.
I'm Italian with Maltese citizen and I'm really shame for Maroni...He 's tryng to solve an European problem dumping immigrants to Malta. But don't forget that this is NOT an Italian problem, as well this is not a Maltese problem..
Hugs to you all, William (truly Italian, proudly Maltese).

Pleas public this comment!

Sandro Pace

Apr 18th 2009, 11:50

This shift in Italian policy, against which we so far took for granted, while it is cynical on their part, is also dangerous. The 'stand-off' region has now shifted closer to Malta. In any case, government should not accept any migrants rescued where Malta is not the closest port, be it Libya or Lampedusa. Under whatever circumstances.

This also shows how Maltese politicians persist in misjudging the 'burden sharing' mood. Yesterday the minister was quoted saying that this reluctance is due to the forthcoming EP elections. It is indeed true that europeans know how to use their vote, unlike us, but they dont give much importance to EP elections.

Malta has also been somewhat cynical in asking for all the immigrants saved by Frontex to be taken to Italy. We want our conscience to be clean at others' expense. The attitude should be unity against where these are leaving from.

German Frontex units where turning the boats away before being told off (according to a documentary). Do we know what we want? There is no solution which does not entail 'not making it easy for the immigrants'. Do not hinder those which want to consider them.

William Santelli

Apr 18th 2009, 11:30

Hello. I'm Italian with Maltese Citizenship..I know both Italian and Maltese problems about immigrance. I think this time isn't so simple: immigrants are in Maltese waters, altough they are very close to Lampedusa.
The real problem is the UE...It thinks only to money and not to the real problems of the nations..

d. borg

Apr 18th 2009, 11:22

Minister you have the support of the majority of the Maltese people. We must show all EU that we mean business, that nobody is going to turn our beautiful small island into an immigrant sanctuary. We must stand firm and be united as a nation. Let us not be bullied by anyone.

Martin Bugelli - Director General (Information)

Apr 18th 2009, 11:03

Minister Maroni seems to be mixing up the obligations that a State has to coordinate search and rescue operations within its Search and Rescue Region with the obligation that a State has in rendering assistance to a vessel in distress. Such obligation is not related at all to the Search and Rescue Region.

The Maltese Government would like to reiterate that Malta is abiding by the international law as applicable to Malta. It will continue to abide by these international obligations to the full, but cannot and will not carry burdens that are clearly not its own.

Martin Bugelli - Director General (Information)

Apr 18th 2009, 11:02

Reference is made to the Official Statement by the Government reproduced below -

MALTA HAS ALWAYS HONOURED ITS INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW


Reference is made to comments made by the Italian Minister for Home Affairs Mr Roberto Maroni during a Pan-Mediterranean Conference being held in Rome on ‘Illegal Migration and the Security of External Borders’.

It is apparent that the Italian Minister for the Interior is not being correctly informed by his officials.

The Maltese Government would like to emphasise that Malta has always honoured its international obligations in accordance with international law. Malta has always co-ordinated the search and rescue operations, carried out within the Search and Rescue Area falling under its responsibility, in strict adherence of its obligations, namely that it coordinates maritime search and rescue operations and that rescued persons are to be disembarked at the nearest safe port.

In fact, last year the Malta Rescue Coordination Centre of the Armed Forces of Malta coordinated no less than 380 migrant cases, apart from many other cases involving merchant shipping, pleasure and fishing industry. These figures provide more than ample proof of Malta’s strict adherence to its international obligations. (cont.)

T Mifsud

Apr 18th 2009, 10:46

We are with the Governemnt here. STAND STRONG! Dont give in 1 inch because if it happens once, it will set a precendent for future rescues.

John Portelli

Apr 18th 2009, 10:22

Well we had Frontex,we had burden sharing agreements,the US took 20,we had patrol agreements with Libya,Italy ,we have new boats on order from Australia,we've been visited by numerous bigshots from Europe and they tell us what we should etc etc....Why can't governments to day FIND SOLUTIONS??

Charles Sammut

Apr 18th 2009, 10:16

The Italians should put their money where their mouth is and pull out the Italian Military Mission from Malta for good measure. Who knows, in some perverse way it might help alleviate our illegal immigration problem.

It is easy for the Italians to talk tough about Malta. They would never dare do the same with Libya because the good colonel would turn off the gas taps.

And where is Bossi? He was full of hot air about shooting illegal immigrants' boats. Isn't Maroni one of his acolytes? Parole, Parole, Parole.