Alfred Sant f’Xarabank: It-traffikar tal-bnedmin fil-Mediterran għandu jiġi eliminat

Is-sitwazzjoni attwali kellha titqies fil-kuntest ta’ dak li kien qed iseħħ illum b’pandemija tas-saħħa pubblika, pajjiż ġar il-Libja f’nofs gwerra ċivili u sitwazzjoni diżastruża fl-Italja.

Sant irrefera għal proposta mill-Ministru għall-Affarijiet Barranin Evarist Bartolo għal missjoni umanitarja ta’ 100 miljun ewro fil-Libja biex tiskoraġġixxi l-mudell ta’ negozju użat mit-traffikanti billi żżomm il-migranti ġewwa l-Libja. Programm iffinanzjat mill-UE huwa meħtieġ b’mod urġenti biex jiżgura s-sikurezza tar-refuġjati fil-Libja.

Il-gvern Malti ħaqqu l-appoġġ għall-isforz tiegħu biex jagħmel pressjoni lill-UE biex tieħu r-responsabbiltajiet tagħha fid-dawl tan-numru dejjem jiżdied ta’ migranti li jidħlu fl-Ewropa bid-dgħajjes fil- parti ċentrali tal- baħar Mediterran.

Ir-Renju Unit, l-Istati Uniti u Franza għandhom jagħmlu sforz biex jimmiraw u jeliminaw it-traffikanti tal-bnedmin eżatt kif għamlu biex joqtlu lill-eks mexxej Libjan Gadhafi.

Alfred Sant iddikjara li Malta kienet esaġerata u jeħtieġ li jinħoloq bilanċ peress li Malta ma setgħetx tibqa’ terfa waħedha l-influssi ta’ migranti li jivvjaġġaw mill-Afrika lejn l-Ewropa.

 

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Alfred Sant on Xarabank: Human trafficking in the Mediterranean should be eliminated

The current situation needed to be seen in the context of what was happening today with a public health pandemic, neighbouring country Libya in the middle of a civil war and a disastrous situation in Italy.

Sant referred to a proposal by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Evarist Bartolo for a 100 million euro humanitarian mission to Libya to deter the smugglers’ business model by keeping migrants inside Libya. An EU funded programme is urgently needed to ensure the safety of refugees in Libya.

The Maltese government deserved support for its effort to pressure the EU to shoulder its responsibilities in view of the increasing number of migrants entering Europe with boats in the central Mediterranean Sea.

The UK, the US and France should make an effort to target and eliminate human traffickers just as they did to assassinate former Libyan leader Gadhafi.

Alfred Sant stated that Malta was being overstretched and a balance needs to be struck since Malta could not shoulder the flows of migrants travelling from sub-Saharan Africa on its own.