Italy says priority is to update migration agreement with Libya
The Italian Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Alfredo Mantica, said last night that a policy priority for Italy in its relations with Libya is to update migration provisions in a friendship treaty signed in 2008.
"The first duty of Italy will be to update the part (of the treaty) relating to migration as soon as the situation in Libya has stabilized, he told Italian news agency ANSA.
He said that Italy wants to see Libya set up refugee centres which are up to international standards, and generally improve the situation for third country nationals so that they do not feel the need to migrate.
Italy would also like to see stricter border controls.
Italian Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa also said that the Italian-Libyan friendship treaty signed should be revived once a new government takes power in Libya. The head of the Libyan National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, has already said that the treaty will be respected.
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Ms Louise Vella
Aug 23rd 2011, 08:42
To better understand why Italy wants to stop the illegal immigrants from coming you can see the trouble they have caused in Pozzallo, across the water from us in Sicily.Malta is not alone in having problems with them. La Repubblica reported:
Guerriglia nel centro di accoglienza - in fuga 50 migranti, feriti 5 poliziotti
Scontri a Pozzallo, nel ragusano. Numerosi migranti hanno cercato la fuga rompendo i vetri delle porte d'ingresso
È stata una notte di guerriglia al centro di primo soccorso di Pozzallo (Ragusa) dove circa cento immigrati hanno cercato di fuggire dalla struttura usando pezzi di ferro staccati dai letti a castello per spaccare i vetri delle porte d'ingresso dell'edificio. A fronteggiare la rivolta una quindicina di agenti che poco hanno potuto fare per fermare gli extracomunitari, trasferiti a Pozzallo nei giorni scorsi da Lampedusa. Sedici dei fuggitivi sono stati rintracciati subito, ma una cinquantina mancano ancora all'appello e vengono ricercati dalle forze dell'ordine.
Tredici immigrati sono stati arrestati con l'accusa di danneggiamento e resistenza a pubblico ufficiale. Cinque agenti di polizia sono rimasti feriti negli incidenti e sono stati medicati al pronto soccorso dell'ospedale Maggiore di Modica, da dove sono stati poi dimessi.
(22 agosto 2011)
Ms Louise Vella
Aug 23rd 2011, 08:40
Illegal immigrants leaving Libya by boat would like to go to Italy and from there perhaps to Germany or Sweden or France. They come to Malta either by mistake or because they are picked up when in real or supposed distress. Illegal immigrants do not want to come to or to stay in Malta. The vast majority of the common people of Malta do not want them. When the agreement between Italy and Libya was in force Libya stopped the boats from leaving. This helped Italy and also Malta. From one or two years illegal immigration to Malta practically stopped. If the Italy-Libya agreement is put back into force, Malta will be mightily relieved.