About 500 migrants have been pushed back towards the Libyan coast by the Italian authorities in the last few days, Italian Home Affairs Minister Roberto Maroni said yesterday, reiterating Italy's stand against the influx of illegal immigrants from the north African coast.

"We started five days ago and until today we have already pushed back more than six boatloads of about 500 illegal migrants who would have been hosted by us," he said.

"This is an important shift, even if not something absolutely new, but a decisive step in our approach to Libya, the departure point of 90 per cent of the illegal immigrants who disembark at Lampedusa. By stopping the haemorrhage from Libya, we can say that the wound of illegal immigration has been solved. It was not easy."

He was dismissive of the criticism that has been directed at Italy over the human rights aspect of the new policy, mainly by the UNHCR and the Vatican's Migrants Commission. "I confirm and guarantee that I am ignoring the criticism, the accusation, at times violent, that is made by some representative of the UN, who is not the UN, and from some Catholic organisation, that is not the Vatican. We are the guarantors for all Europe, not only for Italy."

The Maltese Home Affairs Ministry last Thursday welcomed Italy's decision to return, for the first time, a group of rescued migrants to Libya. Under the terms of an agreement reached with Libya, the Italian coast guard took 227 migrants, rescued at sea off Lampedusa last Wednesday, back to Tripoli, where they had started their journey across the Mediterranean.

The news was described as a historic achievement by Mr Maroni.

The Italians' shift in position over illegal immigration started when they initially refused to take in 140 migrants picked up by the Turkish ship Pinar E some 34 miles off Lampedusa over three weeks ago, insisting that Malta should do so as the rescue had taken place in its search and rescue area.

Rai24 reported that yesterday, 162 migrants, including 42 women and two newborn babies, who were picked up by an Italian patrol boat in international waters south of Lampedusa, arrived near Tripoli.

The migrants will be transferred to a Libyan detention centre just like the other group of 227 migrants who were picked up by the Italians and taken to Twescha last Thursday, some 35 kilometres from Tripoli.

Yesterday morning another boat carrying some 70 migrants sent a distress call by satellite phone saying they were navigating in the Sicily channel. According to the GPS coordinates, however, the migrants were further south, between Maltese and Libyan waters, Rai24 reported.

Last Saturday Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi seemed to bless Mr Maroni's approach towards illegal immigration when he openly rejected the vision of a multi-ethnic Italy.

Mr Berlusconi's conservative government has won public favour by cracking down on illegal immigration, allowing the premier to go a step further as he defended a new policy to deport migrants to Libya before they arrive on Italian shores.

"The left's idea is of a multi-ethnic Italy," Mr Berlusconi told a news conference. "That's not our idea, ours is to welcome only those who meet the conditions for political asylum," he added.

His remarks sparked sharp debate yesterday as he won praise from far-right allies and earned accusations of racism from the left.

Long a country of emigrants, Italy in recent years has been grappling with an influx of poor African migrants arriving on its shores and Eastern Europeans seeking work, sparking fears over crime and a loss of national identity, Reuters said.

Mr Berlusconi's affirmation, which made headlines in Italian newspapers, was welcomed by the Northern League, a junior government ally that says unchecked immigration threatens Italy.

"This underscores a revolutionary change from the past," said the far-right party's Roberto Calderoli, recommending honorary party membership for Mr Berlusconi.

Immigration has been high on the political agenda ever since Mr Berlusconi took power a year ago pledging a clampdown on illegal immigrants that his government blames for a spike in crime.

"Once upon a time there were just a few of us defending Italian identity, now with the Prime Minister's words we are in the majority," Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa said.