Horse-trading was not part of the deal with Italy to take in the 102 migrants rescued by a tanker, according to the Prime Minister.
Joseph Muscat yesterday insisted there was no link between the MT Salamis case and the rescue of another 86 migrants in distress by the armed forces a few hours after the impasse was solved.
It was just after midnight yesterday that the Government announced Italy had accepted responsibility for the 102 migrants and the ship was allowed to head for Syracuse where it docked in the morning.
But three hours later the armed forces were called out to rescue 86 migrants in distress. The news was released by the police in a statement bereft of detail. Later the police clarified that the newly rescued migrants came from sub-Saharan West African countries. The largest group, 60, were Nigerians and 20 Ghanaians.
There was no horse-trading involved... they were two separate cases
No further details were given about the location of the boat, the person who alerted the AFM to the emergency or the medical condition of those on board.
The two incidents coming so close – the Salamis agreement and the AFM rescue – raised the question over whether the diplomatic solution involved some form of trade-off between Malta and Italy.
But Dr Muscat denied any link when asked by this newspaper about the matter.
“There was no horse-trading involved... they were two separate cases and the agreement had been reached hours before the rescue.”
He said in the case involving the rescued migrants Malta was obliged to save them because they were in distress.
However, he insisted that in the Salamis case, the Government was within its legal rights to bar the ship entry after it ignored international conventions and instructions to take the rescued migrants to Libya.
Dr Muscat reiterated that Libya was the closest safe port of call for the Liberian-registered ship.
“The tanker had just left Khoms and this means the captain had considered it a safe port,” Dr Muscat said, adding the Italian rescue centre had given the ship clear instructions to head to Libya.
Asked what prompted the Italians to accept the ship, Dr Muscat would not elaborate on the Italian Government’s decision.
“The Italians were in this from the beginning. They took the first distress call and told us they had instructed the tanker to rescue the migrants and go to Libya.”
European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström yesterday tweeted her gratitude to Italy for “showing solidarity” and accepting the 102 migrants.
Dr Muscat said the Libyan authorities had been disposed to cooperate. He noted that in a similar case involving a Turkish cargo ship on the same night there was no objection to the migrants disembarking in Tripoli.
Malta, Italy, Libya and Greece are working very well together
“Malta, Italy, Libya and Greece are working very well together,” Dr Muscat said, adding it was important for Malta to hold firm because allowing the migrants to disembark would have otherwise changed the parameters of international maritime law.
The migrants, he said, were not in distress on the tanker and Malta was not obliged to receive them.
The PN welcomed the solution reached between Malta and Italy. After having supported the Government’s stand on Monday, the PN yesterday said Malta had long faced similar cases, which previous Nationalist administrations tried to solve “as quickly as possible while respecting the dignity of the vulnerable individuals involved”.
“Diplomacy and dialogue, not foot stamping, are the best way to solve such problems in an effective manner.” It added it would support the Government’s efforts to receive effective solidarity from the EU.
However, the PN failed to answer a question sent by this newspaper on whether it agreed with the Government’s position that the Salamis had to take the migrants to Libya, after it had opposed plans to return migrants to the North African state on Air Malta.