EU TO LAUNCH NAVAL MISSION AGAINST ILLEGAL MIGRATION IN MEDITERRANEAN

EU to launch naval mission against illegal migration in the Mediterranean (Photo : Memo)

Brussel, 2 Shaban 1436/20 May 2015 (MINA) – A meeting of EU foreign and defence ministers agreed on Monday to launch a naval mission to combat illegal migration in the Mediterranean Sea. The mission will be part of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Atalanta operation.

EU NAVFOR will operate in the Mediterranean in sequential stages in accordance with international law within two months.

“The operation’s first phase includes the monitoring and evaluation of smuggling and human trafficking networks across the Mediterranean Sea,” said an EU statement. Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

“The second and third phases of the operation will work on the research, discovery and the disabling of smugglers’ assets in accordance with international law and in cooperation with the Libyan authorities.” The mission headquarters will be in Rome under the command of Admiral Enrico Credendino.

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The estimated cost will be €11.82 million and it will run as a pilot for two months in addition to the official initial phase of 12 months duration.

“The EU operation is part of a comprehensive set of measures designed not only to respond urgently to the need to save lives and to address emergencies but also to address the root causes of illegal migration, as was demanded from the European Council on April, 23 2015,” said the EU.

Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Linas Linkevicius, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, expressed the hope that the UN Security Council’s ongoing consultations “will result in obtaining a resolution to launch a parallel naval operation in Libyan territorial waters.”

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Speaking to Anadolu in Brussels, the ministers added, “European plans to combat illegal immigration require a clear mandate from the Libyan party but the current situation will not allow us to obtain that mandate, but we will continue to work in this direction.”

This was a reference to the need for permission from Libya for EU NAVFOR to operate within Libya’s territorial waters. Most African migrants use Libya en route to crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. (T/P002/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)