Film star Angelina Jolie and  the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres have called for increased efforts by European nations to contribute to rescue efforts and reduce migrants' deaths at sea.

The two were yesterday taken on a tour of AFM facilities, during which officials explained the AFM's work in rescuing boat people.

Jolie and Mr Guterres met three survivors of last Friday's migrants tragedy, who were rescued by a commercial vessel and brought to Malta.

Jolie also visited Syrian refugee families who survived a similar boat tragedy last October. They included a couple from Damascus whose three small children perished during the crossing, and a doctor from Aleppo whose wife and three year-old daughter drowned. 

The UNHCR said Mr Guterres and Angelina Jolie thanked the AFM for their part in successful rescue operations that have saved many lives. Amidst concerns about the sustainability of the Italian Mare Nostrum operation, they also called for increased efforts by European nations to contribute to rescue efforts and reduce deaths at sea.

Mr Guterres this morning also had a meeting with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at the Auberge de Castille.

He said that Malta was "a special case" because of its small size, and required enhanced solidarity from the EU on migration.

Mr Guterres said the Mediterranean was facing a dramatic situation, and called on the EU to enhance mechanisms of solidarity.

He acknowledged that Malta's capacity to integrate irregular migrants was limited and offered to work more closely with the government.

"We are interested in enhancing solidarity with your country and discuss with you ways to improve detention conditions," Mr Guterres said, adding Malta could not be seen as any other country.

He also praised the work done by the Armed Forces of Malta to save lives at sea.

Dr Muscat welcomed the comments, saying the UNHCR's position was "in synch" with the government's.

Focussing on the crisis in Libya, Dr Muscat said the situation there had to be tackled with the greatest urgency.

"The situation in Libya cannot be seen as totally unrelated to what is happening in Syria and Iraq even if on a completely different scale."

He called for UN intervention in Libya but insisted that the type of intervention had to be determined with the Libyan people.

"We believe in an inclusive solution to the anarchy in Libya that takes into account the will of the Libyan people as expressed in elections but also recognises the realities on the ground," Dr Muscat said.

He added that the security situation in Libya and illegal migration were not unrelated because the lack of rule of law allowed criminal gangs to do as they pleased.

EU AND UNHCR CAN DO MORE - BUSUTTIL

Mr Guterres also had a meeting with Opposition leader Simon Busuttil shortly before his departure from Malta.

Dr Busuttil said the migration problem would not go away and the UNHCR and the EU could do more for its better management.

Part of the solution was the adoption of a common adoption policy that did away with nation borders on this issue and included responsibility sharing.

MOAS WELCOME JOLIE APPEAL

tHE Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) praised the UNHCR and Angelina Jolie for helping raise awareness about the ongoing migration crisis in the Mediterranean Sea.

MOAS co-founder Regina Catrambone said:

“During its first two weeks at sea, our private NGO MOAS has helped Mare Nostrum and Rome’s Maritime Rescue Coordina-tion Centre with the rescue of around 2,000 people at sea. The men, women and children we are rescuing from unsafe vessels are not economic migrants; they are fleeing the ongoing wars and conflicts in Syria, Gaza and Libya. The situation is so desperate that they are selling all their belongings to get their families a place on these boats, in the full knowledge that they may end up like the hundreds of people who drowned at the weekend.”

“We fully support the pleas by Angelina Jolie and UNHCR for the world to wake up to the scale of the crisis. The number of deaths reported in the Mediterranean is comparable to the numbers reported in wars and major conflicts and there is no reason to believe this is going to slow down.”

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