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PARIS (Reuters) – France is not ready to let the Mediterranean rescue ship Aquarius land and land dozens of migrants at the port of Marseille, said Tuesday the French finance minister.
FILE PHOTO: The humanitarian ship Aquarius is seen at the boiler pier in Senglea, in the Grand Port of Valletta, Malta, on August 15, 2018. REUTERS / Darrin Zammit Lupi
"For the moment, it's" no, "said Bruno Le Maire when BFM TV asked him if Paris was ready to respond positively to the request of charities to access 58 people on board in the French port from South.
The Mayor said the ships were supposed to dock at the nearest port according to European rules and that Marseille was not the nearest.
"When it comes to migration, the issue needs to be resolved in a clear and clear manner and the European rules respected," said the minister.
Aquarius 2 is the only charity rescue vessel still operating in the central Mediterranean region.
The charities were hit hard on Monday, while the Panamanian authorities, in addition to the recent ban on their boats in Italian ports, revoked the registration of the vessel Aquarius.
Reportage by Brian Love; Montage by Geert De Clercq and Andrew Heavens
