Immigration: Italy to welcome 102 migrants refused by Malta<

ASNAmed
Published: 7 August 2013

ROME - Italy has agreed to take in 102 migrants rescued by the Salamis tanker and refused entry by Malta, the Maltese authorities on Wednesday.

The tanker has anchored a mile and a half from the smaller of Siracusa's two ports. It was surrounded by Coast Guard, Finance Police and police cutters. Navy doctors and investigators have gone on board. After initial tests, Coast Guard cutters will ferry the migrants to the city's larger port, where 10 Italian Red Cross volunteers await them at the Coast Guard barracks. The Red Cross has also set up a first aid tent and mobilized an ambulance

Rome gave the green light to accept migrants, most from North Africa, following intense overnight diplomatic negotiations.

The Libyan-registered Salamis picked them up close to the Libyan coast on Sunday and headed to Malta. But Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat refused to allow the migrants to land on the Mediterranean island, despite calls from the European Union for him to do so.

'Thank You Italy for taking the 102 stranded migrants who were saved two days ago! Relocation of asylum seekers is a way to show solidarity in Europe. Would be great if all 28 EU members would help and not only the same'', EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom tweeted on Wednesday.

After Rome's green light the tanker Salamis set off for Siracusa at 6am local time.

The Maltese Navy meanwhile has rescued another 86 migrants from an inflatable boat idling approximately 26 miles off the island.

Muscat thanked Italian Premier Enrico Letta for the "concrete commitment" it had shown over the case at a news conference.

He said Letta had understood that the arrival of hundreds of migrants in recent weeks had overloaded Malta's migrant-reception facilities.