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Italy takes in stranded migrants Italy takes in stranded migrants
(about 20 hours later)
Italy has agreed to accept 140 migrants rescued off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa, ending a four-day stand-off with Malta. Italian authorities have begun bringing ashore 140 migrants who were stranded on a ship in the Mediterranean Sea, ending a four-day stand-off with Malta.
Rome had at first insisted the ship was in a Maltese search and rescue area, and said Valletta should take them in. A Turkish cargo vessel rescued the migrants on Thursday from two boats off the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Italy was taking in the migrants for "humanitarian reasons", and insisted its actions did not set a precedent. But Italy maintained they were rescued in an area which fell under Malta's responsibility.
The migrants were rescued after their boats got in trouble in rough seas. Italy's government said the decision on Sunday to accept the refugees had been taken for "humanitarian reasons".
They were picked up by the MV Pinar on Thursday some 40km (25 miles) off the coast of Lampedusa. Each year, thousands of African migrants try to enter the European Union illegally by sea via Italy. Often their boats capsize or get stranded, and nearby fishing boats, cargo vessels or military ships rescue them.
But a stand-off developed after Malta said the migrants should be taken to the nearest port, which it said was Lampedusa. EU intervention
'Humanitarian emergency' On Monday morning, the first group of about 30 migrants were escorted off the MV Pinar at Porto Empedocle in southern Sicily and put onto buses for processing.
Each year, tens of thousands of migrants pay smugglers to try to reach Italian shores. Often their boats capsize or get stranded, and nearby fishing boats or military ships rescue them. The migrants were picked up off Italy's coast by the MV Pinar on Thursday
Speaking on Italian state TV, Mr Frattini said Italy would accept the migrants, but was unequivocal in his disapproval of Malta's attitude. A group of 20 migrants with health problems were evacuated to Lampedusa on Sunday. The remaining refugees were to be brought ashore later on Monday.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso tried to intervene earlier this week, the Italians pointed out, in an effort to convince Malta to change its mind. Italy's foreign ministry said it had agreed to take them in after the intervention of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who spoke with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his Maltese counterpart, Lawrence Gonzi.
"Malta should have taken them in," Mr Frattini said. The decision was made "exclusively in consideration of the painful humanitarian emergency aboard the cargo ship" and Italy's acceptance of the migrants "must not in any way be understood as a precedent nor as a recognition of Malta's reasons" for refusing them, the ministry said in a statement.
An Italian foreign ministry statement said the decision was made "exclusively in consideration of the painful humanitarian emergency aboard the cargo ship". "Malta should have taken them in," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told state television.
It stressed that acceptance of the migrants "must not in any way be understood as a precedent nor as a recognition of Malta's reasons," the Associated Press reported. "[Its] government has not complied with a European request from Commission President Barroso to respect the rules of search and rescue at sea."
Earlier on Sunday, Italian coastguard officials delivered a substantial supply of drinking water to the migrants, who had stayed aboard the Pinar since their rescue. Malta had insisted that the MV Pinar take the migrants to Lampedusa, where Italy has a detention centre for asylum seekers and illegal migrants, because it was the nearest port to where the stricken boats were found.
Reports said the migrants were likely to be taken to southern Sicily, although a pregnant woman and some suffering from illness would be treated in Lampedusa. During the stand-off, the MV Pinar was anchored about 40km (25 miles) south-west of the small island.
The Pinar is in an area that is on one of the main migration routes from North Africa to Italy