MILAN (AP) – Italy is putting its hopes for managing the migrant crisis on a new, Libya-requested mission to support the North African nation’s coast guard after suffering a rebuke by humanitarian groups.
Italian ministers were briefing parliamentary committees Tuesday on a mission approved by the Cabinet to deploy the navy to aid the Libyan coast guard in its territorial waters. A vote could come as early as Wednesday.
Premier Paolo Gentiloni says the mission could become a “turning point” in Italy’s bid to manage the unrelenting flow of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea. The U.N. migration agency says 94,802 migrants have arrived in Italy this year through Sunday, up 11 percent over last year and 85 percent of the European total. They estimate that 2,221 people have drown this year alone on the central Mediterranean route.
Italy’s bid to get 10 humanitarian groups to agree to new rules of conduct for rescuing people from the Mediterranean failed when at least four, including Doctors Without Borders, refused to sign on Monday.
Objections to the Italian demands included rejecting a provision permitting armed police on board the rescue ships and not being allowed to trans-board migrants to continue other rescues, but being forced back to port.