More migrants arrive on Italian island from Libya

Two boats with 600 migrants, including Eritreans and Somalians fleeing Libya, arrived yesterday at Lampedusa island which Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has promised to evacuate, Italian media said.

At the same time, about 800 of the 1,500 migrants already on the small Italian island were transferred on Monday to processing centres in Italy by air and sea.

Italy has seen since the beginning of the year an influx of more than 22,000 immigrants, mostly from Tunisia, but also from Libya.

Meanwhile Tunisia’s coast guard yesterday rescued 42 illegal migrants headed for Italy after their boat’s engine gave out, the TAP news agency reported.

The overnight rescue took place near the port of Gabes, the agency said.

Thousands of migrants have fled Tunisia since President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in a popular revolt in January, with more than 22,000 landing on the small Italian island of Lampedusa.

The Italian government has asked Tunis to stop the exodus and take back those migrants who have already arrived in Italy.

On a visit to Tunis Monday, Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced the creation of a bi-national commission with Tunisia in a bid to halt the immigration wave from the north African state.

Among other things, Italy proposes the creation of border processing centres for migrants wishing to travel to France or Germany, and the issuing of residence permits allowing them to travel freely in Europe.

Italy’s Interior Minister Roberto Maroni remained in Tunis yesterday and was working out the final details of a bi-national accord on the immigration issue.