Italy puts refugee human factor first

(ANSA) - Milan, October 6 - Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Tuesday the government puts "the human factor" first in its migrant and refugee policy.
    "I told the United Nations we uphold the human factor, that is the fact that reception and rescue at sea must come first," the minister told a Slow Food event on sustainable farming at the Expo world's fair.
    "I think we must claim with pride the fact that we saved over 100,000 human lives in the Mediterranean," Gentiloni said.
    His remarks came as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday almost 3,000 people fleeing war and destitution in Africa and the Middle East have perished in the Mediterranean so far this year.