Spain to TAKE IN 630 migrants on board refugee ship after Italy and Malta TURN AWAY boat
SPAIN has pledged to take in a migrant ship stranded in the Mediterranean after Italy’s new interior minister Matteo Salvini blocked the boat from docking in any of the country’s harbours.
By ALICE SCARSI
Express.co.uk
Mon, Jun 11, 2018
The minister is being seen as making good on ‘get-tough’ anti-immigration electoral promises by banning the boat in a move which has seismic implications for the EU and international asylum policy.
The ship Aquarius, carrying 629 migrants from Libya, including seven pregnant women, is operated by the charities Medecins Sans Frontieres and Sos Mediterranee.
But after Italy’s block Spain offered to take in the migrants, with new prime minister Pedro Sanchez instructing port officials to welcome the ship into Valencia.
The PM’s office said: “It is our duty to help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and offer a safe port to these people, to comply with our human rights obligations.”
The Spanish intervention came after Mr Salvini took to Facebook to demand Malta take in the migrants. He wrote: “Enough. Saving lives is a duty, transforming Italy in a refugee camp isn’t.
“Italy is done with taking orders, this time there is someone saying no.
“Malta takes in nobody.
“France pushes people back at the border, Spain defends its frontier with weapons.
“From today, Italy will also start to say no to human trafficking, no to the business of illegal immigration.”
But Mr Salvini’s demand incensed Maltese politicians who also refused to take in the migrants.
Malta’s prime minister Joseph Muscat said: “The Italian government is breaching international rules and, with its attitude, is risking to create a situation that would be dangerous to everyone.
“Malta is respecting international rules and, therefore, can’t let Aquarius dock at its port.
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