(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, MAY 8 - A spokeswoman for the European
Commission on Tuesday said a tug-of-war between Italian and
British authorities on the transfer of migrants from the ship
operated by NGO Proactiva Open Arms to the Sos Mediterranee
vessel was "deplorable".
"The priority is to help migrants", the spokesperson said.
"It is with this spirit that we launch an appeal, both to
Italian and British authorities, for a quick solution so that
migrants can land safely as soon as possible".
"European ships, including Italian ones, act in the full
respect of international law and according to the principle of
non-rejections: they never take migrants back to Libya or third
countries", said Natasha Bertaud, a spokeswoman for the European
Commission to those asking about the activity carried out by
Libyan coast guards.
"Each maritime center has the obligation of coordinating
rescue operations according to international conventions and,
according to our information, this is what Italy is doing".
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