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NEWS | Wednesday, 22 April 2009

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Maroni preparing Pinar dossier for Commission


Italy’s minister for the interior Roberto Maroni said his team is preparing a dossier on the Pinar migrants’ incident to take to the European Commission which will be presented by foreign minister Franco Frattini at the next EU foreign ministers’ meeting next week.
Italy and Malta are still locked in a political standoff over which country was responsible for the safety of 140 migrants saved by a Turkish cargo vessel in international waters just off Lampedusa.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on Monday said Malta was “ethically, morally and legally” correct to refuse entry to the Pinar E, which after four days stranded at sea was allowed into Sicily and then ferried to Port Empedocle in Agrigento by Italian patrol boats.
An investigation was also initiated into the death of the pregnant woman who was said to have died before the rescue.
The dispute came to an end on Sunday evening when the Italian government said it would take the migrants strictly for humanitarian reasons, since the conditions on board had deteriorated.
Maroni told Italian news TG1 that Italy is demanding the Commission takes action and that Malta carries out its duty because Italy was not ready to take care of problems that are not its own. “We have taken in these people exclusively for humanitarian reasons because the situation on the ship was becoming complicated. But we still contest Malta’s position,” Maroni said.
The 140 migrants were saved in international waters but Malta refused entry, claiming that the Italian island of Lampedusa was the nearest safe port of call, quoting the Search and Rescue convention which says they should be taken to the nearest, safest port.
Italy refused entry, arguing Malta should abide by an amendment to the convention under which rescued persons must be taken to the port of the search and rescue area from where they were rescued. Malta never signed this amendment, and its position was backed by the captain of the ship.
European Commissioner for Freedom, Security and Justice Jacques Barrot thanked Italy for taking in the migrants. He said international law was not easy to interpret and that it was true that castaways had to be taken to the nearest safe port of call where it can actually accept them. But he added Malta’s position had to be understood because it was facing its own problems of space.

 


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