Illegal immigrants could apply for asylum in Europe from their consulates in North African transit countries or their initial requests could be handled by the captains of patrol vessels that intercept people smuggling boats in the Mediterranean, according to Italy’s foreign minister Franco Frattini.
“Turning back a boatload of illegal immigrants in international waters is completely permissible, although it presents legal grey areas that are not covered by European law,” Frattini told Rome-based daily Il Messaggero on Monday.
“How can we ensure that that potential 7-8 percent are able to request asylum?” he asked.
The Italian opposition, the United Nations, the Vatican and human rights groups have strongly criticised the conservative Italian government’s new policy of returning boatloads of migrants to Libya without screening them first for possible asylum claims.
The policy, agreed in a bilateral accord with Libya under which the two countries will carry out joint maritime patrols in the Mediterranean, is part of the government’s hardline approach to illegal immigration.
“If we allowed all illegal immigrants to enter Italy, this would signal the end of immigration policy. European countries on average grant asylum to 5-6 percent of illegal immigrants at most,” Frattini claimed.
However, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees last last week slammed Italy’s decision to return the migrants to Libya as did not have proper asylum procedures and was not a signatory to a key international convention.
The 1951 UN Refugee Convention enshrines the principle that refugees may not be returned against their will to a country where they may face persecution.
In 2008, an estimated 75 percent of sea arrivals in Italy applied for asylum and 50 percent of them were granted some form of protection, UNHCR said.
Some 36,00 migrants arrived in Italy by sea in 2008, with around 30,000 landing on the southernmost island of Lampedusa, causing severe overcrowding this year in its identification and expulsion centre.
Around 20 percent of illegal immigrants enter Italy aboard people-smuggling boats, with the majority arriving by land or air, often overstaying on tourist visas.
Long a country of emigrants, Italy in recent years has become a target for mass immigration, especially from Africa and Eastern Europe, sparking fears over crime, jobs, and a loss of national identity.
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