Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi drew a line of demarcation on the Italian position which until recently attempted to make illegal immigration a punishable crime.
Gonzi described the idea as “probably not correct. We have international obligations we should all honour.”
Gonzi was speaking to reporters at the Canale 2008 joint exercise between Maltese and Italian militaries, although he was flanked by Italian defence secretary Giuseppe Cossiga.
“It’s a debate I am following with interest, because it concerns us as well, but it is an Italian issue which I should not comment about, neither in favour nor against… it’s something the Italian parliament has to decide, not the Maltese prime minister.”
Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi unveiled a 30-point anti-crime package which include controversial measures to make illegal permanence in the country an offense punishable by jail. Illegal immigrants will also be expelled more easily and quickly, and it will be possible to detain them in holding centers for a maximum of 18 months. Immigrants without documents can now be held for only 60 days. The package also proposed DNA tests on immigrants hoping to join relatives already living legally in Italy to ensure that only close family members will be admitted to the country.
Berlusconi has since backtracked over making illegal immigration a criminal offence following heavy criticism from the United Nations, the Vatican and within the European Parliament.
Cossiga reinforced the Italian position, despite Europe-wide criticism. “It will be a strong signal of our intention to act efficiently to resolve a concrete problem.”
Gonzi stressed with journalists the need for an international coordination of repatriation for failed asylum seekers, and reinforce Frontex patrols in the Mediterranean.
The Italian military is promoting the use of the Predator RQ-1, an unmanned aircraft used for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The spy-plane captures surveillance imagery but can also be armed with missiles. Six Predators are in service with the Italian Air Force, which were deployed to Iraq in January 2005.
Italian general Vincenzo Camporini said the deployment of the Predators will “certainly be in future scenarios as the most economic way of monitoring trafficking routes.”