Western Mail

Migrants now on Italian ships bound for Spain

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HUNDREDS of migrants are being divided among three ships for a trip to Spain in bad weather, after Italy’s new government used their plight to pressure Europe to revisit its migration policy.

The 629 migrants – including 123 unaccompan­ied minors and several pregnant women – were on board the Aquarius, operated by the charity SOS Méditerran­ée.

The migrants, stuck at sea since Saturday after Italy and Malta refused them permission to dock, are now heading for Spain, where the prime minister has offered them safe harbour.

The migrants are being transferre­d to Italian coastguard and navy ships because of forecasts of deteriorat­ing weather along the route to Valencia, according to SOS Méditerran­ée spokeswoma­n Mathilde Auvillain.

Officials in Valencia said they expect the ships to arrive in three to four days.

Italy’s new anti-migrant interior minister has made good on a campaign pledge to close Italian ports to non-government­al organisati­ons that pick up migrants at sea, which he has likened to taxi services for migrant smugglers.

Matteo Salvini, whose League party is part of the populist coalition that took office this month, promised voters that other European countries would be made to share the burden of caring for asylumseek­ers arriving in Italy on unseaworth­y boats, mostly from Libya, also taking aim at the aid vessels.

The new Spanish foreign minister said Madrid’s decision in accepting the migrant ship is also meant to push European Union leaders to address the bloc’s migration policies later this month at an EU summit.

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