The Labour leader's proposal to send migrants saved by Maltese soldiers close to Lampedusa to Italy after they had been refused entry on the Italian island was not acceptable from anyone, let alone the leader of the opposition, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this morning.

Speaking during a radio interview, Dr Gonzi said that Dr Joseph Muscat's proposal did not make sense, especially considering Italy's recent clash with the EU because it wanted to give Tunisians landing in the country a temporary residents' permit.

Dr Muscat said yesterday that now that Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has admitted it was a mistake not to allow the migrants to disembark in Lampedusa, Malta should send the migrants to Italy.

Dr Gonzi said this morning that Dr Muscat was trying to ridicule Malta.

This was so especially since his proposal came less than 24 hours after Malta had saved another boatload of migrants who had been at sea for nine days. The arrivals included a pregnant woman who died on board because she drank sea water. Her funeral was held at Mater Dei Hospital yesterday.

The Prime Minister said that his government was not willing to prostitute its values to look good.

"Faced with a choice between life or egoism, we opt for life...

"What the leader of the Opposition is proposing is not national interest but disinterest."

Malta, he said, would be strong in its arguments with the EU but it would also retain its dignity.