(ANSA) Brussels, August 26 - Italian Interior Minister
Angelino Alfano will seek Wednesday to define with EU Interior
Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom an exit strategy for
Italy from its costly unilateral "Mare Nostrum" operation
rescuing Mediterranean refugees, diplomatic sources say.
Alfano hopes to get a sympathetic hearing from Malmstrom
during their meeting to be held in Brussels Wednesday during a
lightning visit to the Belgian capital by the Italian interior
minister who wants the EU's Frontex border protection agency and
other EU countries to share responsibility with Italy for saving
the thousands of refugees who seek to reach Italy from north
Africa each year aboard desperately dangerous rafts and
dinghies.
Operation Mare Nostrum organised by the Italian Navy,
Coast Guard and merchant vessels is costing the Navy as much as
4 million euros a month in fuel and maintenance costs, putting a
hefty strain on the Italian navy budget.
Frontex officials had a meeting in Rome Tuesday with
Italian officials to discuss technical logistics of bringing
more countries' navies into the operation on the model of the
EU's anti-piracy operation in the Horn of Africa.
Italy hopes to present a package of measures along those
lines to the EU interior ministers' council meeting due to be
held in Luxembourg Oct. 9-10 so as to obtain endorsement from
the 28 EU member states so as to share the burden of Operation
Mare Nostrum by the end of this year.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
