Interpol is planning to start cooperation with Frontex for the sharing of data on migrants crossing the Mediterranean, Interior Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said today.

He said that details would be discussed at the 40th Interpol European regional conference which is being held in Malta between today and Friday. 120 delegates are attending. The conference theme is Interpol's global responses in Europe to challenge international crime challenges.

The minister said that cooperation between Frontex and Interpol was an act of solidarity from Interpol to facilitate the exchange of data and information on people crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

Malta, he told the conference at its opening, would make good use of such increased cooperation, including information sharing.

Malta, he said, had seen the arrival of more than 1,100 migrants in the past six weeks. This, he said was a very high number relative to Malta's population size. It was why Malta had sought solidarity and action by the EU.

The EU will tomorrow hold a a special pledging conference where EU countries will be asked to declare the number of migrants they were prepared to resettle from Malta.

Interpol president Khoo Boon Hui spoke about the current upheaval in North Africa, leading to the flight of thousands of migrants, and said that Interpol was willing to cooperate with other organisations on data sharing.

He said that despite the death of Osama Bin Laden, the threat of terrorism would continue. Interpol, he said, was there to fight the illegal trafficking of drugs, firearms and migrants.

There was the need for collaboration between police forces and law enforcement agencies of the various countries to fight international crime.