Update 2: Italy accepts migrants but "does not recognize" Malta's reasons

(Adds Italian Foreign Ministry comments)

Italy this evening accepted to allow a Turkish ship carrying some 140 migrants to berth in a Sicilian port after a three-day standoff with Malta.

The Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the migrants were being accepted for humanitarian reasons and acceptance "does not constitute a precedent in recognizing Malta's reasons" for refusing the migrants.

The 140 migrants were rescued by the Pinar E close to Lempedusa on Thursday afternoon. But while Italy on Friday refused to take them in because they were in Malta's search and rescue area, Malta also rejected them, arguing that in terms of international conventions, they should be taken to the nearest safe port, in this case Lampedusa.

Italian Prime Minster Silvio Berlusconi agreed to let in the migrants after discussing the case with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. Dr Gonzi had earlier also urged the EU to intervene.

Foreign Minister Tonio Borg welcomed Italy’s decision to let the migrants land, and insisted that Malta had been right all along.

“I think this was the right decision considering also that this developed into a humanitarian crisis,” he said.

He refused to call this a victory for Malta and said that the two countries have to continue to cooperate.

“This was a dispute between friends. We just have to learn to respect each other’s points of view. But I think this has proven that Malta position was correct.”

Rai reported that some migrants including a pregnant woman, have already been airlifted to hospital from the ship.