The 58 migrants on board the Aquarius rescue ship will be taken to Malta and from there on to four other European countries, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat tweeted on Tuesday.
The migrants will “disembark in international waters”, Muscat tweeted from the UN General Assembly in New York. A government spokesman said they would be taken to Malta and “immediately redistributed”, amid a brewing crisis over their fate.
“The operation will take place as soon as logistically possible,” the spokesman said.
“The government of Malta is participating in this effort on purely humanitarian grounds and without prejudice to its position on search and rescue activities, which remains unchanged.”
“The governments of France and Malta remain committed to a multilateral and proactive approach based on rule of law and solidarity,” the spokesman said. AFP
