Migrants rescue off Lampedusa, Tonio Borg receives Italian ambassador

Informed sources told Malta that the Italian ambassador was received by the Maltese foreign minister in the wake of an official statement on Sunday by Rome's Foreign Office, that quoted Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini who ordered his ambassador to officially protest with Malta for not rescuing the migrants.

The migrant boat had launched an SOS using a satellite phone from a position that was 47 miles away from Lampedusa and 100 miles from Malta.

While the Maltese Armed Forces took over the coordination of the rescue operation given that the boat was within the Maltese Search and Rescue area (SAR) the Italian coast guard waited for Malta to effect the rescue.

Being quite distant from Malta and much closer to Lampedusa, the AFM continued to coordinate the rescue effort by involving all merchant navy vessels in the area and also the US Sixth Fleet in Naples who in fact provided aerial assistance.

Notwithstanding the inclement weather that prevailed on Saturday with Force 6 winds and heavy seas, the AFM still deployed aerial and maritime assets but were still far and a long time away from the migrant boat,which continued to sail towards Lampedusa until it was rescued by the Italian coast guard.

The Italian government still insisted that the rescue should have been effected by the Maltese.