(9) Wednesday (9) Tensions escalated between France and Italy over the acceptance of the Ocean Viking, one of the humanitarian vessels stranded in the Mediterranean with hundreds of migrants. Paris condemned Rome’s refusal to accept the mooring of the boat.

The NGO ship SOS Méditerranée, carrying 234 migrants, set sail for France due to the “deafening silence” from Italy. The episode started a diplomatic discussion between the two capitals.

On Tuesday night, representatives of the new post-fascist Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, thanked France, which they said had received the Ocean Viking in one of its ports.

French authorities later condemned the “unacceptable behavior” of their Italian counterparts “contrary to the laws of the sea and the European spirit of solidarity”, according to a government source who spoke to AFP.

France’s government spokesman, Olivier Véran, told radio Franceinfo this Wednesday morning that Italy must “play its part” and “respect European commitments”.

“There are also very clear European rules adopted by Italians, who are the first beneficiaries of a European financial solidarity mechanism,” Véran reminded, considering the Italian government’s “declarations” and its “unacceptable”. “refusing to let the boat dock”.

“Diplomatic mechanisms still come into play at this time,” Véran added.

Corsica and Marseille “ready”

Gilles Simeoni, Chairman of the Board of Corsica, said on Tuesday night that the French island is “ready to temporarily receive the Ocean Viking in one of its ports, if necessary”.

“It was an honor for France to take the ship,” Benoît Payan, mayor of Marseille (southeast), told AFP on Wednesday.

Paris and Rome have been at odds for four years over the fate of Aquarius, which is owned by the NGO SOS Méditerranée and carries 629 immigrants.

“We are experiencing a diplomatic stalemate between France and Italy, which creates a vacuum for other such situations, because Italy is clearly challenging the European (solidarity) agreement,” said Matthieu Tardis, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI). .

“Requesting a dock in a French port was not SOS Méditerranée’s first idea; the NGO has always enforced maritime law trying to dock at the nearest safe harbor,” he observes.

In addition to the Ocean Viking, several human ships have been launched in recent days during World War II. He faced difficult removal negotiations with the new Italian government, the most right-wing since World War II. In the campaign, one of Giorgia Meloni’s promises was to take a tough stance against immigrants.

three landings on tuesday

Rome initially allowed only a fraction of the survivors who had attempted the crossing between the North African and European coasts to disembark, which disappointed humanitarian organizations.

Three ambulance boats were finally allowed to disembark all their passengers on Tuesday.

Among them is “Rise Above”, a ship of the German nonprofit Lifeline, which managed to bring all 89 immigrants to the southern tip of Italy.

On Tuesday night, the German-flagged ships Humanity 1, owned by the NGO SOS Humanity, and Geo Barents, owned by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), managed to disembark approximately 250 people in the port of Catania after giving the green light. Italians.

Italy has seen a sharp increase in arrivals on its territory by sea this year, with 88,100 arriving on its shores since the January periods under the Covid-19 health crisis, according to data from the Interior Ministry.

(with information from AFP)