Malta rejects Italy charge over newly rescued migrants

Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni has reported Malta to the EU for failing to send its assets to rescue a sinking boat of migrants on Saturday but Malta has insisted it met its international obligations “as it always has”.

A government spokesman said: “In this case Malta has met its international obligations to the full.

The boat in question was closer to Lampedusa, the safest port of call.”

It added: “It is only logical that the Italian assets based in Lampedusa were in a position to reach the boat in distress before those deployed by the Maltese since they were closer.”

The vessel, with 210 refugees escaping conflict in Libya, was 62 nautical miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa drifting in the Mediterranean with engine trouble. They were rescued by the Italian coastguard.

Mr Maroni complained Malta was “once again” shirking its responsibility, leaving it up to Italy to “avoid a new tragedy”. He said he had reported Malta to EU Immigration Commissioner Cecilia Malmström demanding that member states respect their duties to intervene in their respective maritime assistance zones.

The Italian minister made similar accusations against Malta earlier this year, which have always been rejected.The Italian authorities also rescued a rubber dinghy with eight Tunisians on board.

The boat was drifting close to the Italian island of Pantelleria, close to Lampedusa.

Between Friday and Saturday, about 1,500 migrants, almost all African migrant workers fleeing Libya, arrived to Lampedusa’s shores after a week-long lull in arrivals.