Friday, 9th May 2008
Sea patrols to start next week
Frontex-led patrols off the coasts of Malta are due to start next week following an agreement reached yesterday between Malta, Italy, France and Germany on the rules of engagement to be applied during the six-month long Nautilus III mission.
The Times has learned that the agreement was struck following a technical meeting at the EU's border control agency's headquarters in Warsaw and high-level diplomatic talks between the four EU members involved.
A government spokesman and Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil, who is the EPP's spokesman on Frontex, confirmed when contacted by The Times that an agreement was indeed reached and that the mission is now expected to start operating as from next week.
Originally, this year's mission was expected to be launched on April 22 but it was postponed at the 11th hour following disagreement between Malta, Italy, France and Germany over who should assume the final responsibility for illegal immigrants saved in the search and rescue area (SAR) of Libya during the patrol mission.
Frontex sources said that the four member states now agreed that "rules regarding the disembarkation of persons rescued at sea during the operation will remain the same as in last year's operation".
According to Frontex this will mean that "migrants saved in the Libyan search and rescue area (SAR) will be taken to Libya (and) when not possible to the closest safe haven".
According to maritime rules, the closest safe haven will mean either Malta or Lampedusa, depending on which island is the closest when illegal immigrants are taken on board.
The same sources said that, in line with last year's agreement, when Libya refuses to take illegal immigrants back, as will probably be the case this year, both Germany and France had accepted to assume responsibility of the illegal immigrants saved by their assets.
During this year's mission, Germany and France will be providing air cover while Italy and Malta will be operating through their maritime and air squadrons.
Until this agreement was reached, both France and Germany were refusing to take responsibility for any illegal immigrants saved in Libya's SAR area.
Speaking to The Times, Dr Busuttil welcomed this latest development.
"When I proposed to double the budget of the agency last year I did not do it just to give them more money. I did it to give them sufficient means to undertake longer missions in the Mediterranean. Last year Nautilus lasted two months, this year it will operate for six months because they have the necessary funds. But it has to be clear that Frontex must deliver. My support and that of the EPP is not unconditional. If Frontex does not deliver then it cannot expect our support," he said.
Frontex has budgeted €8 million for this mission.
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Comments
The EU is failing, and is failing itself miserably, as it continues to burrow its head (s) deeper in the sand like some ostrich, failing to understand appreciatively the silent gradual invasion of its shores and varied age-old cultures by theses (mainly) sub-Saharan Africans. A recent US State Dept. report has very validly expressed a significant concern on the Muslim radicalisation of these detained (and later freed to roam Maltese streets) migrants that reach the shores of Malta.
The economic woes of Malta cannot be solely blamed on the international scene's spiked oil and food prices only, but also on the Maltese taxpayers' outlay to support this yearly migrant inflow which will eventually blow well beyond sustainability on the multiplicity of fronts its operates: military, law-enforcement or social services and welfare. And this not considering potential ethnic clashes inside the next generation of Maltese society between pure (European) Maltesers and those migrant sons and daughters born in Malta. A scene maybe reminiscent of the North African take over of French Marseille and Nice, to the chants of their soccer hooligans that their cities 'non sont Franciase' - not anymore French!
Maybe a strongman like our now historic statesman Dom Mintoff is needed, who would go to great lengths NOT TO bow over to the overwhelming pressures of the major key players of the EU, as he did between the Cold War powers. It's fine to smile and shake hands for the cameras in Brussels, but who is really gauging the feel of the people's pulse on the ground in Malta on matters of race, integration, social welfare and migration in general, certainly not some liberal-minded NGOs with a flagship TV chat programme on Friday evening's primetime!
Our law-enforcement are facing new criminality shifts in the areas of Marsa, lower Valletta, B'Bugia and elsewhere where migrants conglomerate. And one dreads to think what risk and threat analysis have been made by the Malta Security Services of those Muslims from these migrants assembling for prayers in mosques, be they improvised in some flat or under a Hal-Far tent, they have been well documented on the web by MSNBC and other top leading news agencies.
When the migrants revolted, the Maltese rallied around our soldiers for support, when cops got hurt we cried out foul, but what happened since then. The number of migrants roaming Maltese streets have swelled, thriving on black economy's employment and all its ills, and the landings don't seem to want to let up.
So, where's Libya being engaged in all this? It's no rocket science to realise there's collusion and corruption of the highest degree in its border control, military and establishment to allow this profiteering off folks' miseries. Maybe regime change is healthy now for Libya (depsite their recent openess to the West), but we can't solve Africa's problems in Malta or on mianland Europe (I think British PM Gordon brown and Maltese PM Law. Gonzi agree on this), but they should be solved in africa itself. Not forgetting the Maltese were colonised and NOT a colonial power.
Complacency and disinterest may be convenient and shruggable in the short term, but the consequences and implications can be far graver and severe than the short sightedness of many.
We will continue to have more ILLEGAL immigrants because they will be easier to spot from the air and our forces will have to go for them.
Why not set up a force just outside the Libyan 12 mile limit as Joseph Galea said to prevent the ILLEGAL immigrants from leaving the Libyan territorial waters and whenever they are seen the Libyan authorities will be called to pick them up?
The German and French aircraft flying just outside Libyan territorial waters will be able to spot them even if they are still on the shore or just leaving, but it is clear that most of them are being dropped by ships in our and the Italian areas.
How about getting an agreement with other countries to allow ships registered with them to allow Frontex to inspect them?
Anyone more ideas?
So what does all this mean for Malta? Will the Frontex patrols simply result in MORE illegal immigrants being brought here?
Will someone in authority kindly explain? In plain words please, not in legalistic mumbo jumbo which nobody understands!
Malta, Italy, France and Germany!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where are the others? Is this a union or what????
This has to be stopped and something has to be seriously done !!
Italy and Malta will be at sea to pick up where the French and Germans send them.
Libya, as usual, will not accept any immigrants back.
Therefore, all the immigrants will be going to either Malta or Lampedusa.
My guess is that Malta will again be getting the bulk of the immigrants, or as they say in some countries, the shaft.
Did anyone think of positioning some ships to patrol the Libyan coast, at the 12 mile limit, and simply insist that the boats return where they came from? Or would that be too inhumane an act?