Government should stand up to bullying - AN

Opting to bully a smaller neighbour which was also victim of illegal migration was not the right sign for Italy to give, Azzjoni Nazzjonali said.

It said that while it fully comprehended that the Italian authorities were duty bound to defend their nation's interest and had the right to act unilaterally if they deemed it important to do so, the way they elected to go about it was not impressive.

“By opting to bully a smaller neighbour which is likewise a victim of this influx is hardly the right signal to give.

“If Italy was really serious about addressing the issue of illegal immigration it should perhaps direct its resolve elsewhere - namely towards those countries which are the source of these migratory flows,” AN said.

It said Malta could be a more convenient target since it was neither a former colony nor a country where Italy had economic and geo-political interests at stake.

AN also said that illegal immigrants had no right to go to Italy, Malta or elsewhere, and it would serve both countries better to take a joint stand on this fact.

It called on the government to stand up to this bullying with an unequivocal and resolute stand.

“It has nothing to fear and since it is well within its rights it will find the public including AN right behind it.”

The issue, AN said, should serve as proof if any more were needed that burden sharing would never happen as Azzjoni Nazzjonali had long maintained, and the only option was for the government to expend it's efforts and persist in the demand for common EU repatriation agreements with third party countries.

Until such agreements were in place, if a bigger and wealthier nation like Italy could act unilaterally then so should Malta.

Enough time had already been wasted by the government by failing to see and admit the gravity of the problem and in chasing the wrong solutions.

More than ever, Malta needs representatives in the EU who had the conviction and resolve to do whatever it took to defend the country's sovereign rights and not individuals who invoked international 'obligations' to hide their inertia, ineptitude and appeasement, AN said.