ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday that the rescue ship Lifeline, stranded for days in the Mediterranean, would go to Malta, while Italy would take in some the hundreds of migrants on board.
“I just got off the phone with (Maltese) Prime Minister (Joseph) Muscat: the NGO ship Lifeline will dock in Malta,” Conte said in a statement. Conte did not specify, however, when the vessel would be allowed to dock in Malta.
The German charity vessel Lifeline rescued over 200 migrants, including children and pregnant women, last Thursday, but has since been moored in the Mediterranean after Italy and Malta initially refused to take it in. Echoing the hard line of far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, Conte said Lifeline “will be subject to an investigation into its nationality and compliance with the rules of international law by its crew” – after questions about the ship’s legal status were raised.
The decision by Italy and Malta to stop allowing migrant rescue vessels to dock plunged Europe into a political crisis over how to collectively handle the thousands of people fleeing war and misery in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
“Consistent with the key principle of our immigration proposal – that those who land on the shores of Italy, Spain, Greece or Malta are landing in Europe – Italy will do its part and welcome some of the migrants who are on board the Lifeline”, said Conte. He did not reveal how many migrants Italy would take in, but expressed his wish that “other European countries would do the same”.
Malta said Tuesday it would only allow a stranded rescue ship carrying over 200 migrants to dock in its port if other EU states agreed to take in some of those onboard. The fate of the Lifeline ship, run by a German NGO, hung in the balance as EU states remained at loggerheads over how to handle the influx of people trying to reach the continent.
The vessel had rescued the 234 migrants, including children and pregnant women, on Thursday but Malta and Italy initially refused to take it in. “I just got off the phone with (Maltese) Prime Minister (Joseph) Muscat: the NGO ship Lifeline will dock in Malta,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said, without specifying when.
“Italy will do its part and welcome some of the migrants who are onboard the Lifeline.” However, Malta said it would only allow disembarkation if other European Union countries took their quota of migrants, adding that “four member states have already confirmed their participation”. The government also warned it would launch an investigation and possibly take action against the Lifeline once it entered Maltese waters. The Lifeline NGO, meanwhile, tweeted that “we now need EU countries to welcome the people. That was what Malta asked for, and that is what we asked for.”
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