Amnesty slams EU draft proposal

(ANSA) - Rome, April 23 - A draft proposal likely to be adopted at an emergency EU summit taking place in Brussels won't be enough to end the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean, Amnesty International said Thursday after viewing a draft of the final document.
    Resolutions contained in the draft "are wholly inadequate...to stop an increase in the number of sea deaths," the human rights watchdog said.
    The draft shows EU leaders will reject urgent requests for more search-and-rescue operations, and will instead decide to double its Triton operation without changing its mandate, which is to patrol the EU's borders 30 miles off the coasts of Italy and Malta - areas that are far away from where most of the mass drownings occur, according to Amnesty.
    "European leaders still have the opportunity and the responsibility to remedy their colossal failures," the organization said.
    "What we need is to change the objectives and the areas of operation, we need more ships and more planes," said Amnesty Europe and East Asia Deputy Director Gauri van Gulik. "Ignoring the urgent need to save those who are drowning sounds like an insult to the thousands who have perished in the Mediterranean, and a cynical affront towards those who have no choice to undertake that dangerous voyage".