Deputy Premier and Interior
Minister Matteo Salvini said Friday that Rome has sent a letter
to the government of the Netherlands telling it to take charge
of the case of a ship run by the Sea-Watch NGO with 47 rescued
asylum seekers aboard.
The vessel has been allowed to enter Italian territorial
waters due to bad weather, Italian coast guard sources said
Friday.
"Fifteen minutes ago I sent a letter to the Dutch government
in which the it is officially and formally tasked with dealing
with this vessel, which flies the Dutch flag, and of the
passengers on board," Salvini said.
Earlier on Friday fellow Deputy Premier and Labour and
Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio said that he thinks the Dutch
ambassador to Italy should be summoned over the ship.
The city of Naples has said it is willing to allow the
Sea-Watch ship to dock there.
But League party leader Salvini ruled this out, saying his
policy of refusing access to Italy's ports to NGO-run
migrant-rescue ships is not changing.
I can't wait to have them arrive, safe and sound, in another
European country," Salvini said.
"There's no space (for them) in Italy".
The Netherlands said Friday it would not take in the
migrants from NGO rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 as demanded by Italy,
De Telegraaf reported.
"Until there are European accords on structural solutions for
the migrants on board the (migrant smuggler) boats, the
Netherlands will not take part in ad hoc solutions," said Dutch
Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Mark Harbers,
according to De Telegraaf.
He said "the Netherlands has noted the Italian request, but
is not responsible for the Sea-Watch 3".
Salvini said he was collecting evidence to weigh a police
complaint against all the members of the crew of Sea-Watch 3 for
favouring clandestine immigration, interior ministry sources
said.
Salvini faces possible prosecution for allegedly kidnapping
migrants aboard migrant rescue ship Diciotti in a stand-off with
the European Union last year.
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