ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2018) Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Thursday that his aim was to carry out a harsh policy toward undocumented migrants arriving in the country by sea, following the example of the Australian authorities.
Australia's refugee policy, which includes offshore processing for asylum seekers sent to detention centers to the nearby islands, has often been criticized by human rights organizations.
"My goal is Australias No way. Only illegal migrants are on Diciotti [rescue ship] ... No one will come ashore from Diciotti with my permission. I promised to protect the borders and the safety of the Italians. I have been doing this for two months and will continue to do so," Salvini told local Rtl radio station in an interview.
This interview came amid a recent conflict around a migrant rescue ship Dicciotti, which docked in Sicily on Monday. Salvini refused to accept any migrants and called on the European Commission to distribute them among several countries. He urged the European Union to look into Malta's policy regarding migrants, citing testimonies of refugees saying that Maltese seamen were guiding them to the Italian waters and leaving there to fend for themselves. Malta claimed that the migrants were just heading to Italy through Maltese waters.
On Wednesday, the Maltese government said in a statement that the country always adhered "to international laws and applicable conventions," and that the authorities had contacted the Italian government in order to "fulfill their pledged commitments as soon as possible," but had not been provided with "any tangible procedure ... to follow."
Diciotti is currently in Sicily's port of Catania, and the migrants are still aboard, waiting for a decision. Italy has allowed some 30 minors to disembark the vessel.
Over the past several months, the EU states, namely, Malta, Italy and Spain, have been at odds over the migrant rescue vessels issue, as there has been an influx of migrants aspiring to enter the European Union by sea, but the Mediterranean states have taken a tougher stance on the new arrivals.
