Libya's European Affairs Minister Abdulati Alobidi has expressed criticism over Europe’s plans to stem illegal immigration. The minister was quoted to have said that Europe should stop criticizing Libya for being a jump-off point for illegal immigrants and help it patrol its land borders to stem the traffic.
The Minister said "Our European friends -- I'm not referring to Italy -- don't really understand the scale of the problem,” adding that "They don't realize that it won't be resolved by patrolling the sea, but that we need to start at the southern border, the transit point for migrant flow from their countries of origin." The Minister also stated that the decision to launch Frontex sea patrol in the Mediterranean south of Italy later this month without consulting Libya was "unacceptable".
According to Scotsman.com, Minister Abdulati Alobidi told Italian newspapers Corriere della Sera and La Stampa that Europe is putting too much emphasis on trying to stop immigrants as they cross the Mediterranean Sea and should instead provide helicopters and off-road vehicles to stop the traffic from sub-Saharan Africa.
The Minister said that he sent EU Commissioner Franco Frattini a list of the logistical aids Libya needs to fight human traffickers. These include helicopters, off-road vehicles, night-vision equipment and speedboats.
Alobidi said that Libya has 4,000 km (2,500 miles) of land borders and needs help from Europe to stop the flow of migrants from poverty stricken countries south of the Sahara desert. Every year, tens of thousands of migrants risk their lives crossing the sea from Libya, often in small fishing boats or rubber dinghies, trying to enter the EU via the Italian island of Lampedusa, mainland Sicily or Malta.
Ministers from Libya, Italy and Malta were due to hold a meeting on Wednesday 6th September to discuss the problem, but Commissioner Frattini asked them to postpone it until after an EU ministerial between the 20th and 22nd September where immigration will be one of the main topics.
In turn, in preparation for the Interior Ministers' meeting on co-operation in border control which is due to be held in Malta later this year, a meeting was held in Malta on Wednesday between senior officials from Malta, Libya, Italy, the European Commission and Frontex, said the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs.
The discussions were said to be "extremely fruitful" and focused on areas where the European Union and its Member States and Libya can co-operste effectively in the fight against the illegal smuggling of human beings and in other efforts to save lives at sea.
See also:
Meeting delayed after Libya's offer on sea patrols
By MaltaMedia News
Sep 4, 2006, 10:06 CET
© Copyright 2006 - MaltaMedia Online Network
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