Italian ships will help take the
over 600 people aboard migrant-rescue vessel Aquarius to
Valencia, Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli said on
Tuesday.
Spain on Monday offered to provide a safe port for the
Aquarius, which is run by the SOS Mediterranee NGO, after Rome
refused to allow it access to Italian ports at the weekend.
"Just political pragmatism" was used in this case, said
Toninelli.
"No one's life was put in danger... No more immigration
business. It's possible to change".
The new Italian government said its hardline stance was
necessary to make the European Union give more help to Italy in
handling migrant flows from North Africa, saying Rome's appeals
for assistance have been unheard for too long.
Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said that Spain's decision
to let the Aquarius migrants land in Valencia showed that
"raising your voice" pays.
A volunteer on the Aquarius said Tuesday that around 500 of
the over 600 people on board are to be transferred to Italian
ships.
Volunteer Alessandro Porro said that this was necessary
because the Aquarius was too full to tackle the journey to
Valencia.
"The weather conditions over the next few days are set to
deteriorate, so we won't be able to face this trip with all
these people on board," Porro told RAI show Agorà.
"Rome said the solution was to entrust 500 of the people we
rescued to the Coast Guard's Dattilo ship and a Navy ship that
we do not yet know the name of.
"From our point of view, this is not the best, most rational
use of SAR (search and rescue) resources because, at a time when
there are all these vessels that should be save in a place where
people are dying, they are actually being used for a long
transfer that will take days.
"This nullifies our rescue capability and we are sorry that
this situation will lead to more deaths".
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