Spain offered on Monday to take in a rescue ship that was stranded in the Mediterranean sea with hundreds of people on board after Italy and Malta refused to let it dock.
Some 629 people, including 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 other children and seven pregnant women aboard, were saved by SOS Mediterranee Saturday and stuck aboard the French NGO's ship Aquarius, waiting for a port of safety to be assigned. Aquarius picked up these migrants from inflatable boats off the coast of Libya at the weekend.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who took office just over a week ago, has given instructions for the boat to be admitted to the eastern port of Valencia, his office said in a statement.
Italy's Matteo Salvini, the head of the far-right League party who became interior minister this month vowing to crack down on the influx of migrants from Africa, blocked the ship, operated by SOS Mediterranee and Doctors without Borders, over the weekend.
"Enough!" said Salvini. "Saving lives is a duty, but transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp isn't."
He tweeted: #Chiudiamoiporti. "We're closing the ports."
Maltese Premier Joseph Muscat also refused to take in the Aquarius ship of the humanitarian group SOS Mediterranee. He accused Italy, which coordinated the rescue, of violating international norms governing sea rescues.
Italy's position, Muscat said, risks "creating a dangerous situation for all those involved."
Pictures issued by SOS Mediterranee showed hundreds of Africans huddled aboard, including a young girl wrapped in a blanket in the arms of a rescue worker.
"People are in distress, are running out of provisions and need help quickly," the UN refugee agency said, urging governments to set aside political considerations.
"Broader issues such as who has responsibility and how these responsibilities can best be shared between states should be looked at later," UNHCR special envoy Vincent Cochetel said.
SOS Mediterranee said the ship had enough supplies to feed the migrants, at least for another day.
Germany on Monday urged Italy and Malta to "meet their humanitarian responsibilities", as the two EU countries refuse Aquarius to dock.
"As far as the refugee ship is concerned, I can say that we are concerned about the situation of the people on this ship, the Aquarius, and that the government calls on all parties to fulfill their humanitarian responsibility," said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert.
EU LAW
EU law requires asylum seekers register in the first safe country they reach, but frontline countries such as Italy and Malta say the burden needs to be shared out across the bloc.
"This is not an inhumane act," said Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, in charge of Italy's ports and coast guard.
"It's common sense ... We ask that all of Europe assume responsibility for such a delicate and important issue as is immigration," he said in a TV interview.
The European Commission urged action.
We are talking about people ... The priority of both the Italian and Maltese authorities should be ensuring these people receive the care they need," Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a news conference.
"We call on all involved to contribute to a swift resolution so that the people on board the Aquarius vessel may be safely disembarked as soon as possible," Schinas said.
