Italian Home Affairs Minister Roberto Maroni has accused Malta of having effectively sent 40,000 immigrants to Italy by not participating in their rescue.

The claim is made in a report to EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Jacques Barrot..

The Corriere della Sera says that Mr Maroni is also claiming that Malta failed to intervene 600 times in cases involving migrants at sea.

The newspaper says the most serious spat between the two countries took place last month when the frigate Minerva carrying 76 migrants rescued "in Maltese waters" was not allowed to disembark the migrants in Malta and had to take them to Sicily.

It says that Italy had on several occasions accused Malta of having directed migrants' boats towards Sicily, going back to 2004. It had not intervened 600 times, and as a result, Italy had to receive 40,000 immigrants who should have been taken in by Malta.

The report also includes statistics by the Italian Coastguard which show that in 2008 the Italian forces carried out 186 rescue operations in the Maltese search and rescue area, saving 12,900 migrants.

2007 was slightly better, with the Italian Coastguard having carried out 148 rescue operations, rescuing 6,255.

The report quotes various international conventions and reports Mr Moroni as saying that Italy expected the intervention of the European Commission so that everyone would respect the rules.

"We do not intend to assume responsibility for problems in areas which fall under the responsibility of other countries, especially Malta, which received EU funding for such interventions," Mr Moroni is quoted as saying.