AFM coordinates immigrants' rescue to Lampedusa

Chris. A. Park

Jul 30th 2009, 06:52

Always lamenting on Malta's inability on not being able to repatriate/return illegal migrants to the Libyan mainland, these blogs abound!

Readers fail miserably to appreciate two things:

a. Italy has set in place a form of repatriation/return arrangement with Libya based on the Italians' WW2 war-reparations and highway construction (plus other investments) agreement between Premier Berlusconi and rogue dictator Colonel Ghaddafi;

b. that only those illegal migrants intercepted, caught or rescued on the international high seas, NOT inner Territorial Waters, are being taken back.

Little, for example, is being said in the media about another 25 illegal immigrants the Lampedusa Carabinieri caught WITHIN territorial waters, who are being taken to Porto Empedocle in Sicily, nabbed right around the same time the Guardia di Finanza were taking the AFM co-ordinated 14 migrants back to Libya.

It's only those liberal minded do-gooder entities like the UNHCR (their Rome office most strongly) that start gobbing-off the usual rant, mouthing nonsense that is alas way beyond their 'donkey-bleating in the desert' or EU Comissioner Jacques Barrot's worse diatribes towards the Italian government.

Sandro Pace

Jul 29th 2009, 19:18

According to lasicilia.it, they are already on their way to Libya. So the Italians took Barot's word to their bottom, and continued with their policy. instead fo being ordered about ,waiting for the burden sharing never ending story.

The Italians got the people they voted for. Unlike ours, they know wehn they are being taken for a ride.

lgalea

Jul 29th 2009, 18:26

Thank God they will be sent back because we would have lumped them and would have had to keep them and maintain them at our expense.
When is Gonzi going to send all the illegal immigrants back to Libya or to their own countries?

m azzopardi

Jul 29th 2009, 17:20

thank god they entered Italy because they will send them back immediately not like us!!!

stephen farrugia

Jul 29th 2009, 16:30

Yes but the Italians send them back, while our government keep them.