(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 11 - Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday
blasted France's "aggressive" response in a big diplomatic row
over the NGO-run search-and-rescue ship the Ocean Viking.
"When there is talk of retaliation in EU dynamics, something is
not working," Meloni told a press conference.
"I was struck by the aggressive, incomprehensible, unjustifiable
reaction of the French government".
On Friday Paris allowed the Ocean Viking, which is run by French
NGO SOS Méditerranée, to dock in Toulon with over 230 asylum
seekers on board after Rome ignored the ship's appeals to be
assigned a port of safety for three weeks.
But French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that
Paris has suspended plans to take in 3,500 refugees currently in
Italy and called on "all the participants" in the EU's
migrant-relocation mechanism to adopt similar measures.
Darmanin called on "Germany in particular" to suspend the
relocation of asylum seekers from Italy.
"The request to isolate Italy betrays a curious EU dynamic,"
Meloni said.
"I hope this does not happen. it would not be smart.
"The issue today is how the EU should deal with this matter.
"It could choose to isolate Italy. I think it would be better to
isolate the traffiickers.
"You can decide to isolate Italy but it is not the solution.
"I think it's worth putting two numbers together," Meloni added.
"The Ocean Viking NGO ship that docks in France today is the
first NGO ship to have ever docked in France and it has 230
migrants.
"This generated a very tough reaction with respect to Italy,
which has allowed almost 90,000 emigrants to enter.
"What makes me angry? That Italy has to be the only (country to
provide a) disembarkation port.
"This is not written in any agreement".
The French Secretary of State for EU Affairs Laurence Bonne told
France Info that trust with Rome had broken down following the
row.
"The current Italian government has not respected the mechanism
which it had committed to," Bonne said
"There was a unilateral decision that put lives in danger and
that, moreover, does not comply with international law".
The head of the European People's Party (EPP), Manfred Weber,
told Meloni in Rome on Friday that Italy can't be left to cope
with migrants arriving from North Africa on its own.
"Italy and France must find a common agreement on the great
challenges ahead of us, and everyone must respond to the
challenge of migration," Weber told a press conference after
meeting Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy (FdI) part is not in the
EPP but is part of the European Conservatives and Reformists
group, which the Italian PM chairs, along with Spain's Vox,
Poland's Law and Justice party and the Sweden Democrats.
"What we need is a European solution, we do not need battles
between Italy and France, or other countries," Weber went on.
"This solution must combine two aspects: strict and strong
border controls, as we did at the border between Turkey and
Greece; the second is solidarity, Italy cannot be left alone, we
must show solidarity at the European level".
The German Christian Democrat (Bavarian CSU member) added:
"Everyone must take responsibility. In the Mediterranean. We
must show that we take care of those who need our help, we must
save people.
"This is a Christian responsibility. But on the other hand,
Italy is not alone, it must have solidarity.
"And I urge everyone to use the ongoing debate at the European
level to come up with a European solution now." (ANSA).