Italy must suspend its rescue
operations for the thousands of migrants who arrive by boat on
the country's southern-most shores, Northern League secretary
Matteo Salvini said Monday.
In an interview with ANSA, Salvini said the operations are
too expensive and represent an "invasion" of Italian shores.
He said that his party will present a proposal to the Lower
House and the Senate to suspend the Mare Nostrum sea operation
that Salvini says costs about 300,000 euros daily.
"That will end the financing of (human) smugglers and the
invasion of our shores," said Salvini, who added that he is
planning an election campaign visit to Sicily.
Last month, Salvini called on allies across Europe to join
in fighting "mass immigration" in the lead-up to May's European
Parliament elections.
Salvini, whose party has taken strong stances against
immigration, has said he was confident that such groups would
unite in their opposition to the euro and European institutions
to sweep elections in May.
Immigration has been a hot-button topic in Italy as
thousands of migrants arrive on the country's southern shores,
fleeing violence in the Middle East and North Africa, often by
rickety sea vessels.
Many others die attempting the crossing in often unstable
vessels.
Boat arrivals in Italy more than tripled last year from the
previous year, fuelled by the conflict in Syria and strife in
the Horn of Africa.
After some 400 people drowned in two migrant-boat disasters
within sight of the southern Italian island of Lampedusa in
October 2013, Italy set up a surveillance and rescue operation
called Mare Nostrum to prevent further deaths at sea.
In response to the rising levels of dangerous migration,
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has
said that Italy must have more financial help.
The UNHCR has said that the Mediterranean is one of the
busiest seas in the world, and urged European Union members to
work together on solutions to the migrant situation, which is
expected to worsen.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
