IRELAND is to accept five migrants after Malta agreed a deal with eight EU member states over their relocation.
The 49 migrants, rescued on December 22 and 29, were aboard the Sea Watch 3 and Albrecht Penck NGO vessels.
Malta had refused to allow the rescue ships to dock, saying it was not the nearest port of call and that taking responsibility for the migrants was beyond the remit of the EU’s smallest member state.
Relocation
However the 49 migrants, including women and children, were allowed to disembark in Malta on Wednesday after a deal was struck.
As well as Ireland, the other countries that have agreed to accept the migrants are Germany, France, Portugal, Romania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy.
We have agreed to welcome & protect five vulnerable minors from the Med as a gesture of solidarity & humanitarianism. via @RTENewsNow https://t.co/pJjM0scM4Y
— Charlie Flanagan (@CharlieFlanagan) 9 January 2019
As part of the deal, the eight countries will also accept 131 of 249 migrants previously rescued by Malta.
Of the remaining 118 migrants, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat revealed that 44 Bangladeshi nationals will be returned to their own country, meaning 74 will remain in Malta.
Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said Ireland will offer protection to five unaccompanied child migrants ‘as a gesture of solidarity & humanitarianism’.
'No precedent'
“We welcome this show of solidarity and understanding that Malta is going beyond what is required of us,” said Mr Muscat.
He added: “Malta is a very small country. It is in our nature to assist those in distress.
C’est fini.
It's over.
انتهى.
É finita.
Es ist vorbei.
het is voorbij.#DefendSolidarity #SeaWatch #SeaEye #united4med pic.twitter.com/IE2DYmuhhn— Sea-Watch (@seawatchcrew) January 9, 2019
“But as Prime Minister, I cannot shirk the responsibility of safeguarding Malta’s national security.
“I reiterate, as I did before, that this case shall not act as a precedent – and I have reassurances that this will not be the case from European institutions.”
lives above politics
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, commended Malta and the European Commission, but expressed its disappointment at the delay in reaching a solution.
Nach 19 ungewissen Tagen freuen wir uns, dass unsere Gäste endlich Land erreichten. Ihre Freude dringt durch die Scheibe. Wir kämpfen für ein EUropa, in dem die Räume für sie nicht begrenzt und überwacht werden. Wir wünschen ihnen alles Gute für die Zukunft. #United4Med pic.twitter.com/ox28bdd4vF
— Sea-Watch (@seawatchcrew) January 9, 2019
“Rescue at sea does not end when someone is pulled out of the water, it means getting them to dry land and a place of safety as soon as possible,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
“The imperative to save lives comes above politics and cannot be a responsibility that’s negotiated on a case by case basis.”
