[WATCH] No horse-trading with Italy on Salamis discussions – Muscat
Prime Minister says refusing access to oil tanker that did not go back to Khoms was ‘matter of principle’
Reporting by Jurgen Balzan and James J. Piscopo
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has said there was no horse-trading involved in eleventh-hour discussions with Italy yesterday to take in 102 asylum seekers stranded aboard a Liberian-flagged oil tanker, the M/T Salamis.
The tanker drifted in the Mediterranean outside Maltese territorial waters and under watch by the Armed Forces of Malta for two days after rescuing the migrants just 45 nautical miles from Khoms, the Libyan port it had departed from last Sunday with a gasoil consignment for Malta.
But Muscat today said that Malta was adamantly opposed to allow the tanker access to Malta, saying the government had "documented evidence" that the Salamis's shipmaster had refused Italian guidance to turn back to Libya with the rescued migrants, "because of commercial reasons".
PHOTOS • M/T Salamis adrift in the Mediterranean
Muscat said thanked Italian prime minister Enrico Letta for accepting the migrants, saying that Italy had been the country to initially coordinate the Salamis's rescue and that it had also directed the tanker to turn back to Libya.
"Our government had a strong and legitimate position, and we sent a clear signal: we will abide by our international obligations, but we don't be anybody's mat," Muscat said.
The prime minister also said that Libya had showed its disposition to accept the tanker back into Khoms. In a similar episode occurring on Monday evening, another Turkish vessel had rescued a group of migrants which were then also returned to Libya, Muscat said.
The prime minister brushed aside claims that Malta's reputation had been tarnished with this latest attempt at refusing humanitarian assistance to the stranded migrants.
"Malta's reputation is that of a country which carries out its duty, abides by international obligations, but that does not take the burden that is of others to carry. I respect the European Commission's and Commissioner Cecilia Malmström's position," he said of Brussels's call yesterday asking him to receive the migrants.
"This is not a question of taking in just 100 stranded people, but a matter of principle. We would have undermined the search and rescue regime... we would not have accepted the boat even if it was carrying one person, because the shipmaster refused orders to turn back to Libya," Muscat said.
He added that Malta would have only accepted medical evacuations in such a case.