Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 18:40:36 +0100
No British support for Mediterranean migrant rescues
<http://www.afp.com/> AFP
* 28.10.2014
London (AFP) - Britain will not support planned EU search and rescue
operations to save migrants from drowning in the Mediterranean Sea as they
try to reach Europe, the foreign office said on Tuesday.
The comment comes as the Italian sea operation Mare Nostrum, which rescued
150,000 migrants in the Mediterranean in the past year, is due to end this
week.
The foreign office said that the government's position had been laid out in
a response to a question published by the House of Lords website on October
15.
"We do not support planned search and rescue operations in the
Mediterranean," foreign office minister Joyce Anelay wrote in the response.
"We believe that they create an unintended "pull factor", encouraging more
migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossing and thereby leading to more
tragic and unnecessary deaths."
The government's position is to focus on "countries of origin and transit"
and tackle people smugglers instead, she added.
Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has put curbing immigration at the
centre of efforts to renegotiate Britain's membership of the EU, under
pressure from the rising popularity of the anti-immigration and anti-EU UK
Independence Party ahead of May's general election.
A limited joint EU Mediterranean operation "Triton" is due to begin in
November, which will help but not replace "continued substantial efforts" by
Italian authorities, according to the European Commission.
Italy has long demanded more help from other European countries to help with
increasing number of migrants making the dangerous crossing in flimsy and
crowded boats, as they flee conflict and economic hardship in the Middle
East and Africa.
A record 3,072 migrants have been killed trying to cross the Mediterranean
so far this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
<http://news.yahoo.com/no-british-support-mediterranean-migrant-rescues-0149
06588.html> Picture released by the Italian Navy on August 4, 2014 shows
migrants on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea after being rescued
.
Picture released by the Italian Navy on August 4, 2014 shows migrants on a
boat in the Mediterranean Sea after being rescued (AFP Photo/)
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