Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 12 June 2018

Italy's new leaders get tough on migrants; Spain steps up

By FRANCES D'EMILIO passengers were rescued
Associated Press in seven separate opera-
ROME (AP) — Italy's new tions.
"Italians first" government The exulting by Salvini, who
claimed victory Monday is also deputy premier,
when the Spanish prime nearly eclipsed the satisfac-
minister offered safe harbor tion expressed by his fellow
to a private rescue ship af- deputy, Luigi Di Maio, who
ter Italy and Malta refused leads the governing coali-
to allow it permission to dis- tion's senior partner, the eu-
embark its 629 migrant pas- roskeptic 5-Star Movement.
sengers in their ports. Spain's offer is "important
The Aquarius, a rescue ves- news, since it signals a turn-
sel operated by aid group ing point," Di Maio said.
SOS Mediterranee, has The vast majority of the
been stuck in the Mediter- people traveling on the
ranean Sea since Saturday, Aquarius — 400 — were
when Italy refused its crew rescued by Italian coast
permission to dock and de- guard and navy vessels as
manded that Malta do so. well as cargo ships in the
Malta refused on Sunday. waters off Libya. They were
Spain's new Socialist prime transferred to the Aquarius
minister, Pedro Sanchez In this photo taken on Friday, June 1, 2018 the rescue vessel Aquarius ship approaches the Pozzallo on Saturday before the
stepped in Monday, order- harbor, Southern Italy. standoff developed.
ing authorities in Valencia Associated Press Given that the aid ship had
to prepare for the ship's ar- no emergency, Italy de-
rival. Salvini, the League's lead- women. Several migrants aid group's boat. Like the cided to appeal to other
"It's our duty to avoid a hu- er, said Monday at party had water in their lungs, suf- Aquarius, the Sea-Watch European countries "so
manitarian catastrophe headquarters. fered hypothermia or burns 3 rescued migrants in the they don't leave Italy alone
and offer a secure port for For those aboard the from a mix of boat fuel and waters off Libya, where hu- yet again in managing the
these people," Sanchez Aquarius, Spain's offer of seawater while in their traf- man smugglers are based migratory flows, which is a
said. docking rights at the port fickers' boats. and asylum-hopefuls have phenomenon that is all of
Both the ship and its pas- of Valencia was welcome Malta had food and wa- reported torture, beatings, Europe's business," Di Maio
sengers were caught up news, although it did not ter ferried Monday to the rape and scarce rations in said in a Facebook post.
in a political dispute that provide a quick or easy so- Aquarius, which was run- migrant detention centers. Under a European Union
might not have happened lution. By Monday evening, ning out of supplies. "Little changes if the boat agreement, the country
weeks ago. the ship was more than "The situation is stable but is called Aquarius or Sea- where asylum-seekers ar-
One of the coalition part- 1,400 kilometers (over 750 it cannot run" on forever, Watch 3," Salvini, the inte- rive and are identified must
ners in the populist govern- nautical miles) from Valen- Laurent said. rior minister, said. "We want care for them until their asy-
ment that took over in Italy cia and still awaiting for- A doctor aboard the ship, to put an end to this traf- lum requests are decided,
on June 1, the right-wing mal instructions to head to David Beversluis, said one fic in human beings. And, a process that can take a
League, promised vot- Spain as weather forecasts passenger had to be re- so, as we have raised the couple of years.
ers other European Union predicted worsening con- vived after he was rescued. problem for the Aquarius, The refusals by Italy and
countries would be made ditions. "All the survivors are ex- we'll do it for all the other Malta, leaving the Aquarius
to share the burden of It was unclear if the days of hausted and dehydrated boats." unable to quickly bring the
caring for asylum-seekers sailing west it would take to because they spent many Even as he drew his line, an migrants to a safe port, dis-
who set out for Europe on get to Spain were feasible, hours adrift in these boats," Italian coast guard vessel mayed others.
unseaworthy smugglers' SOS Mediterranee Maritime he said. with 936 migrants and two "The duty of a democratic
boats. Operations Manager An- Even as the Aquarius' crew migrants' bodies on board government is not to look
"Evidently it pays to raise toine Laurent said. The trau- grappled with the logis- was headed toward Cata- away" in a humanitarian
one's voice, something It- matized, exhausted pas- tics, Italy vowed to block nia, Sicily, where it was ex- crisis, said Barcelona Mayor
aly hasn't done as long as sengers include 120 minors, other rescue boats, includ- pected to dock on Tues- Ada Colau, who also of-
one can remember," Ital- many of them traveling ing the Dutch-flagged day evening, Italian news fered her port as a potential
ian Interior Minister Matteo alone, and seven pregnant Sea-Watch 3, another agency ANSA said. The solution to the standoff.q