Pressure mounts on Italy to welcome migrants

Calls for Italy to respect international law and finally offer safe harbor to boats that have rescued hundreds of migrants in the Mediterranean on Friday multiplied, as Paris said it was ready to welcome the women and children.

“International law is very clear: when a boat asks to dock with drowned people on board, it must give way to Italy, which is the nearest safe port,” French Interior Minister Gérald Dormanin said on Friday. on RMC and BFMTV channels. We have said, “We are ready with our Italian friends, with our German friends, to take some women and children as we have done before,” so that Italy will not bear “the burden of this influx.” was added.

More than 1,000 migrants are currently in rescue vessels at sea trying to reach Europe, including 234 “Ocean Vikings”, working with the International Cross Red Federation of the NGO SOS Méditerranée, and 572 “Geo” Parents of Doctors Without Borders. These include “Humanity1” from the German NGO SOS Humanity and “Rise Above” from the Lifeline organization. They are all near Italy.

As the weather worsened at sea, the Marseille-headquartered NGO SOS Méditerranée urged France, Spain and Greece to help find a quick disembarkation port. So far, twenty requests have been made by the NGO for safe harbors.

“We welcome France’s mobilization to find a solution for the Ocean Viking and the various search and rescue vessels stranded at sea to land in Italy as soon as possible and get as close as possible to Italy,” SOS Mediterranean reacted on Friday. can cause,” warns Sophie Beau, director and co-founder of the NGO.

On the “Ocean Viking” off Sicily, a photographer on board explained, “The rescued passengers are calm, although some are beginning to show signs of sea rage. Today marks exactly two weeks since the rescue operation began.”