Italy takes rescued migrants to Libya

An Italian vessel which was yesterday involved in the rescue of illegal immigrants off Lampedusa has arrived in Tripoli with the migrants on board, sources said.

Italian Home Affairs Ministers Roberto Maroni told a Rai interviewer yesterday that there was a possibility that the rescued migrants might be taken to Libya.

The migrants were in a group of 140 on two boats that were found drifting 56 miles off Lampedusa.

Italy had initially requested Malta to pick up the migrants but Malta stuck to its arguments that in terms of international law rescued migrants had to be conveyed to the nearest port.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed with timesofmalta.com that illegal migration was the main topic of talks between minister Tonio Borg and his LIbyan counterpart Moussa Koussa last Tuesday