A rescue ship with dozens of migrants loses its registration, he says, can not dock


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France told a migrant rescue ship with 58 people on board that it would not be allowed to dock in one of its ports on Tuesday, two days after the Panamanian authorities had removed the vessel's registration.

"For the moment, it is not". In the area of ​​migration, the issue needs to be solved clearly and the European rules respected, "French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told BFM TV, adding that under European legislation, lifeboats must to anchor in the nearest port.

RTS22HQK On August 10, migrants were rescued during a search and rescue operation with the rescue vessel Aquarius 2 in the Mediterranean Sea, off the Libyan coast. France warned 58 people aboard its ports Tuesday, two days after the Panamanian authorities had removed the registration of the ship. Guglielmo Mangiapane / Reuters

The Panama Maritime Authority said Sunday at Aquarius 2 that its registration would be removed. Some charities accuse the Italian government of this initiative that could prevent the last migrant relief vessel in the central Mediterranean from functioning.

"Over the last two years, European leaders have said that people should not die at sea, but at the same time they have led dangerous and uninformed policies that have brought the humanitarian crisis in the Central Mediterranean and Libya to new levels of conflict. hollow. Karline Kleijer, the emergency coordinator of Doctors Without Borders, said in a press release.

"This tragedy must stop, but it can only happen if EU governments allow Aquarius and other search and rescue vessels to continue to provide vital assistance and to testify where it is so desperately necessary".

Italian Right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who has flipped the rescue boat several times in recent months, has denied that his government has anything to do with Panama's decision. "I do not even know the Panama regional code," he tweeted.

Salvini is strongly opposed to allowing migrants to enter Italy since his populist government took office in June, calling NGO-run rescue vessels "taxi service".

Carrying more than 600 migrants, the rescue ship was refused by the politician shortly after taking power in June.

"Malta does not accept anyone. France pushes people back to the border, Spain defends its border with weapons. Starting today, Italy will also start saying no to human trafficking, no to illegal immigration, "wrote Salvini on Facebook after the island Independent.

Some 21,024 migrants arrived in Italy from 1 January to 23 September, according to a report by the United Nations International Organization for Migration. This is a sharp drop from the 103,302 migrants who arrived in Italy during the same period in 2017. The report also states that 1,260 people died this year crossing the Central Mediterranean road where Aquarius is implanted.

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