Mediterranean leaders meet to discuss Libya deal

TMP – 18/04/2017

Italy hosted a meeting of interior government ministers to strengthen support for the Libya agreement. The deal was struck in February and aims to curb people smuggling across North Africa and prevent migrants reaching Italian shores via illegal crossing from Libya’s coast.

Italian and EU officials said they are ready to send equipment and economic aid to help the UN-backed government in Libya and enable it to better patrol Libya’s coasts and stop smugglers sending migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe.

Prime Minister Fayez al-Seraj of the UN-backed government in Tripoli asked for a total of 800 million euros to help patrol its coast and territorial waters, including monies for vital surveillance equipment such as radars, 20 boats, four helicopters and all-terrain vehicles.

Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti said that the first 90 Libyan sailors were finishing up their seaboard training, supported by Italy, and that Italy expects to deliver 10 patrol ships by the end of April or beginning of May.

“Now there must be very significant investments,” Minniti told reporters after the meeting. “There’s a total and absolute commitment to do this. We have common will. And this common will has a common objective: to not chase or suffer illegal migration but govern it.”

“Migrant flows to Italy unfortunately continue to increase,” said EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, and he added: “If there’s one country under huge pressure, it’s Italy.”

As part of the deal, migrants stopped by the Libyan coast guard will be held in camps managed by the UN-backed government, assisted by UN agencies and the EU.

“There will be camps that are created together with the humanitarian organizations in full respect of peoples’ rights,” Minniti said. He added that that migrants will be able to seek asylum in Europe from the Libyan camps.