Ivan Camilleri, Brussels
UNHCR calls for emergency meeting
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is urging the EU to convene an emergency meeting between Malta, Italy and Libya to find "a more appropriate solution" to the immigration problem in the Mediterranean.
Antonio Guterres yesterday wrote to European Commission President Josè Manuel Barroso just days after Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici's outburst against the UNHCR's role in the migration issue. Mr Guterres said the meeting, organised by the Commission, should bring together top representatives from the three countries and the UNHCR.
"I can confirm Mr Guterres made this request and the Commission is expected to reply shortly," Gilles van Moortel, the Brussels-based UNHCR spokesman, said.
"As you know, the UNHCR is highly critical of the recent Italian decision to start pushing illegal immigrants back to Libya. This is why we called upon the EU to convene a meeting as soon as possible," he added.
Mr van Moortel said the UNHCR was very concerned with Italy's approach because Libya was not a signatory of the 1951 refugee convention and the country did not guarantee the granting of full asylum rights to possible refugees.
Asked why Malta had been roped in, he said the island was very involved in the problem of illegal immigration and the UNHCR wanted it to be included in finding a possible solution.
"The UNHCR recognises that Malta has a problem with illegal immigration. We also think Malta should be afforded more help by the EU," he said. The UNHCR, whose Malta office remains unmanned after the resignation of its local coordinator Neil Falzon, was harshly criticised by Malta last week.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici accused the UN organisation of "lack of interest" in discussing illegal immigration and lamented he had been trying to meet Mr Guterres since last September. Mr van Moortel declined to comment on this point, saying he was not aware of Dr Mifsud Bonnici's comments.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici had publicly supported Italy's new strategy of returning to Libya illegal migrants found in the Mediterranean. He hit out at the UN agency for attacking Italy's policy to return migrants without suggesting an alternative.
Mr Van Moortel said the EU was expected to give a reply to the UNHCR's request for a meeting in the coming days.
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Alfred Farrugia
May 23rd 2009, 20:31
It is strange that Mr. Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, found the time to meet with Eng. Khaled El Hamedi, the head of the Libyan NGO, IOPCR, but not with our Minister!
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/486e48534.html
The meeting proposed by UNHCR may be useful if UNHCR were to put its own house in order in Tripoli. What improvements has it implemented since its own audit report?
http://file.sunshinepress.org:54445/un-oios/OIOS-20060628-01.pdf
How can a UNHCR office with 8 people relying on the work of NGOs perform its functions properly? How much more that $1.5 million does UNHCR need to perform the tasks needed in Tripoli every year?
Has UNHCR considered opening more offices in other locations in Libya, particularly on the south side of the country?
What happened to the “approximately 12,000 refugees registered with the UNHCR office in Tripoli”? In 2002, there were 33,000 refugees. What is happening to all the refugees and economic migrants present in Libya, and what is UNHCR doing about them? Its progress towards its objectives since 2002 is not very impressive, notwithstanding its constraints.
http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/3daabf011f.pdf
Libya assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of March.
Joe Grima (Brussels)
May 23rd 2009, 19:26
I wonder whether the UNHCR will respect us more if WE ask for refugee status for ourselves! If the invasion is not stopped, perhaps that will be the ONLY solution left for Malta. Little by little, the Maltese may end up as a minority in their own country.
JP. Muscat
May 23rd 2009, 15:20
The problem with such organisations as UNHCR is that they just look at the issue of immigration from the immigrant's perspective. For them, its just about the immigrant, they refuse to look at the issue from a 360 degree perspective. Therefore, numbers are not an issue for them. As long as these are people coming from troubled areas, 10 immigrants and a million does not make a difference. The size of countries giving them refuge is not an issue, the resources of such countries is not an issue, the population density, the jobs available, the problems which are created in such countries etc.. non of these are issues for UNHCR.
Unfortunatly, this is not a responsible way of tackling immigration as it totally disregards the true possibilities of countries giving refuge and their citizens. These people MUST be helped but the only long-term solution is to start putting pressure on African leaders to take responsibility and through a more direct intervention in such troubled countries. Not only would we be addressing the problem at the root, but we would also be helping people who cannot run away and unfortunatly are being left to their faith!!
Etienne Bonano
May 23rd 2009, 14:36
@Louise Vella
Very perceptive of the Italians re Laura Boldrini. I've already commented that the UNHCR is nothing but a far left organisation dedicated to extreme Marxist ideals.
Dennis Zammit
May 23rd 2009, 14:29
Well done UNHCR. Now it is time that all of you pull up your sleeves and start handling the illegal and criminal immigration yourselves but please not on Maltese land. If needed, hire a super tanker or else a luxurious cruise liner, anchor outside Maltese waters and greet these illegal and unwanted people on board. If you manage to find someone who is eligible for refugee status, then you would have made your day and made it worth it.
Good Luck
Robert Dimech
May 23rd 2009, 13:47
Sorry ta, if the problem with returning illegal immigrants back to Libya lies in the fact that this country has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, then get them to sign it and join the rest of the 'civilised' countries! About time that countries adhering to UN conventions are not discriminated against by the actions (or non actions in this case) of other countries who could not care less. This not to mention the fact that the said 1951convention ( close to 60 years old now!) is due for a thorough overhaul to reflect present times and situations.
lgalea
May 23rd 2009, 13:04
UNHCR the only acceptable solution for us the vast majority of Maltese citizens is the repatriation of ALL ILLEGAL immigrants without allowing one single illegal immigrant to remain in Malta. All other solutions are UNACCEPTABLE to US.
Joanne Micallef
May 23rd 2009, 12:20
Unless the UNHCR agree to start processing asylum applications from its Libya office, this meeting will result in just a waste of time.
Illegal immigration has been an ongoing problem for years, the way I see it the UNHCR has indirectly encouraged illegal migrants to cross over to Europe, and because of this they failed miserably to safeguard the rights of those few deserving asylum, since Italy’s present stance comes after having to lump hundreds of thousands of illegal economic migrants throughout the past years.
The UNHCR must understand that Goverments have responsibilities towards their respective countries, as unlike them they were elected by the people to run their respective countries and to safeguard their National Interest. If they really want to work towards a solution, they must look at the whole picture and stop being so one sided.
Joe Grima (Brussels)
May 23rd 2009, 11:51
Malta's ONLY position should be to 'intercept and help the illegal immigrants, while taking them back'. If the Minister keeps emphasizing that they should be processed in Libya, saving the hazards, sufferings, and frequent deaths, I believe he will be speaking for almost all the Maltese.
On the other hand, if UNHCR keep insisting that we should keep receiving them, he should suggest that they change their name to UNHCII, (II standing for Illegal Immigration). That way everybody will know that their 'new' aim is not to aid true refugees, but ILLEGAL human trafficking! Or possibly UNHCATT, (ATT standing for ASSISTANT TO TRAFFICKERS!).
There is ONLY ONE WAY to beat the traffickers, and that is to SEVER the lines between North Africa and Europe. If that is not done, we will be playing into their game, wasting our time, and putting TRUE refugees at risk of abuse, suffering and possible loss of life.
Mario Attard
May 23rd 2009, 11:22
We're fed up with UNHCR. Malta has absorbed much more than it can take. I just hope that all those who are concerned send a message by their vote in EP elections.
louise vella
May 23rd 2009, 11:10
On 22 May BBC and ANSA carried reports on trafficking of human beings from Africa to Europe - Nigerian teenage girls brought for prostitution. Nigeria is a vast oil-rich country not qualifying for refugee status.
On http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8063205.stm
article ‘Spain holds ‘voodoo’ traffickers.
“Spanish police have arrested 23 people suspected of trafficking Nigerian women into the country and forcing them into prostitution by using voodoo curses … The traffickers allegedly supplied women for the sex trade across Europe ... They were … transported by road to Libya before being smuggled into Italy by boat. The women were hidden in flats while the traffickers had created false identification documents before being sent elsewhere in Europe.”
Those were the lucky ones. ANSA says some 600, including Nigerian girls intended for the same business perished at sea: Naufragio con 600 migranti morti, scoperti I trafficanti:
http://www.ansa.it/opencms/export/site/notizie/rubriche/altrenotizie/visualizza_new.html_963786988.html
UNHCR should do something about this as close to the source as possible – Nigeria or Libya, and not try to show its muscles with Malta and Italy.
John Zarb
May 23rd 2009, 10:34
UNHCR, if your solution to not turning them to Libya is to leave the situation as it with thousands crossing on little boats illegally and us accepting them on our own, please think again.
James Dimech
May 23rd 2009, 10:32
It is high time that UNHCR start seeing the whole picture of the problem
Being a UN body, and not an NGO, it is a shame that their agenda only seems to consist of getting as much Africans into Europe as possible, whatever the consequences for the host country.
As a UN body they have the duty to take into consideration the problems and limitations of Malta when they draft positions and make statements. They also have the duty to come up with realistic solutions, rather than only speak up in condemnation when something happens to migrants and stay silent as the thousands cross illegally.
Unfortunately UNHCR have been totally one-sided.
Mario Tabone-Vassallo
May 23rd 2009, 10:24
100% wara l-pozizzjoni ta’ Malta bhalissa dwar dan, kif nittama li kulhadd ikun
louise vella
May 23rd 2009, 10:21
UNHCR wants to correct serious mistakes it made on the problem of trafficking of human beings from Africa to Europe on the Libya-Malta-Italy route.
UNHCR forgot its mandate = refugees. It tried to expand it to illegal immigrants. Excuse? That so-called ‘mixed flows’ include a few genuine refugees among thousands of illegal immigrants. By promoting interests of illegal immigrants UNHCR indirectly encouraged the influx and the trafficking.
UNHCR let its representatives behave like free-wheeling members of some NGO, attacking governments and trying to make policy. The Depasquale report on the Safi riots in January 2005 records the irresponsible behaviour of Michele Manca de Nissa, UNHCR representative in Rome, who happened to be in Malta at the time. UNHCR Rome spokesperson Laura Boldrini has been described in the Italian press as ‘un esponente di Rifondazione Communista’. Head of UNHCR’s office in Malta Dr Neil Falzon has recently left for personal reasons.