Malta rebuts criticism on migrants' rescue

Comments by the Italian media in the past week criticising Malta that it did not do its duty with regards to the immigrants found drifting on their way to Italy last Saturday have been rebutted by Brigadier Carmelo Vassallo and Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici.

The AFM monitored the boat carrying 207 migrants as it headed into Italy's search and rescue area accompanied by an Italian tanker. An Italian tug boat took over from the tanker near Pozzallo in Sicily on Monday.

Brig. Vassallo, said that when the alarm was raised by Rome's SRR Centre, the migrants were 240 miles south of Malta, 112 miles from Libya and 60 miles out of Malta’s search and rescue area.

Although the migrants were intercepted by the Italian-registered tanker Antignano, the weather conditions and the tanker's size made it impossible to transfer the migrants on to it.

Brig. Vassallo said the AFM monitored the boat until it arrived at the border of Italy’s search and rescue area and then obtained permission to continue monitoring it since the Italians had not yet arrived.

The immigrants were then handed to the Italian authorities.

He noted that the Italian media had even quoted the Antignano’s captain saying that the migrants refused Malta’s help since they wanted to reach Italy.

He said that there were two photos which indicated that there must have been some form of attempt at rescue before the arrival of the AFM since the front of the boat was damaged.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said that the army had been exemplary in continuing to monitor situation and making sure the immigrants met no danger. They showed that Malta was competent and that it could do its work well.

When asked to react to comments made by his Italian Foreign MInisterFranco Frattini, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said he did not want to get into any polemics.