Zuma Press
News from the NOS•
Germany urged Italy to help migrants who have been floating off the Italian coast for a week. There are three boats belonging to humanitarian organizations with a total of around 1000 refugees on board. All their requests to dock have so far been rejected by the new Italian right-wing government, with Giorgia Meloni at the helm.
One of the ships is Humanity 1. The ship flies the German flag. Meloni said it was therefore up to Germany to welcome the alleged 179 refugees. Among the migrants there are more than a hundred minors and a mother with her child.
“Many of them are in need of medical treatment. We have asked the Italian government to provide prompt assistance”, reads the statement from the German embassy in Rome.
Warning
The other two ships, the Ocean Viking and the Geo Barents, fly the Norwegian flag. Last week the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned Humanity 1 and Ocean Viking to stay away from Italian waters. They would violate the rules for national security and the fight against illegal immigration.
Italy also reported this with a letter to the German embassy in Rome. Germany replied that the government believes that organizations rescuing migrants at sea “make a significant contribution” to saving lives in the Mediterranean. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently promised to provide emergency aid in case of need.
Bad weather forecast
The weather in the Mediterranean will get worse in the coming days. Norwegian Ocean Viking then asked Greece, France or Spain for help. France wants to receive some of the migrants from that boat, if Italy lets the migrants dock first.
Norway said it feels no responsibility for migrants aboard Norwegian-flagged ships. “Norway is not responsible under human rights treaties or the law of the sea for persons sailing aboard private Norwegian-flagged vessels in the Mediterranean,” the ambassador said in a statement to Reuters news agency. “Neighboring countries also have a responsibility in these matters.”
