EU leaders commit ships, aid to address migrant crisis

[webfact]

EU leaders commit ships, aid to address migrant crisis
By RAF CASERT and LORNE COOK

BRUSSELS (AP) — Late to the rescue, European leaders came through Thursday with pledges of big ships, aircraft and a tripling in funds to save lives in the Mediterranean after the deaths at sea of more than 1,300 migrants over the past three weeks, and agreed to lay the groundwork for military action against traffickers.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, whose country has been faced with almost daily tragedy as rescuers plucked bodies from frigid waters, called it "a giant step forward."

Within days, Britain's aptly named HMS Bulwark and the German supply ship Berlin could be steaming to the heart of the Mediterranean in the biggest sign of the European Union's belated commitment to contain the tide of rickety ships making the perilous crossing.

The pledge of resources came as victims of the worst-ever migrant disaster in the Mediterranean were buried Thursday in Malta. Two dozen wooden caskets containing the only bodies recovered from a weekend capsizing off Libya that left at least 800 migrants feared dead were laid out for a memorial service.

None of the bodies was identified: One casket had "No. 132" scrawled on it, referring to the number of the DNA sample taken from the corpse in case a relative ever comes to claim it.

For several years as death tolls have mounted, EU leaders have done little more than deplore the loss of lives and mark tragedies with moments of silence and wreaths instead of fundamental action. When Libya disintegrated politically after the overthrow of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi and unrest spread in neighboring countries, Europe failed to take forceful action.

On Thursday, EU leaders pledged to do more, committing at least nine vessels to monitor the waters for traffickers and intervene in case of need. Other member states, from France to Latvia, also lined up more ships, planes and helicopters that could be used to rescue migrants.

The member states agreed to triple funding to 9 million euros ($9.7 million) a month for the EU's border operation that patrols the Mediterranean.

They also assigned EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to line up the diplomatic options that would allow EU militaries to strike against the boats used by traffickers. Officials said the lack of a strong Libyan government would likely make U.N. backing necessary.

"Leaders have already pledged significantly greater support, including many more vessels, aircraft and experts" than had been anticipated before the summit, EU President Donald Tusk said.

Despite the sudden deluge of goodwill, huge questions remained about whether it would be enough to defeat the smugglers and human traffickers.

"Right now, it's a question of fixing yesterday's errors," French President Francois Hollande said.

He said the EU would hold a summit in Malta with African countries by this summer to see how the continents can work together to better deal with a crisis that has grown dramatically in recent years.

In contrast to the Italian premier, the head of another Mediterranean nation on the frontline of the tragedies was far less enthusiastic.

For tiny Malta, the smallest EU member state with a population of 450,000, the summit produced nothing particularly new, apart from a fresh resolve to break up the smuggling networks.

The assets being proposed "will never be enough," Malta's prime minister, Joseph Muscat said. "It is definitely not enough if the numbers that are being communicated about prospective migratory flows are anything to go by."

Over the past week alone, more than 10,000 people have been plucked from the high seas between Italy and Libya as desperate migrants fleeing war, repression and poverty threw their lot in with smugglers who charged $1,000 to $2,000 for a spot on overcrowded and unseaworthy boats to make the perilous crossing.

At least 1,300 people have died in April alone, putting 2015 on track to be the deadliest year ever.

Ending that is Europe's main challenge. Even optimists say any measures agreed at Thursday's summit would not fully stem the tide of unstable ships crossing the Mediterranean.

But Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte insisted that Europe should not take the brunt of blame. "We also ask that Africa, the source of the problem, also collectively takes up its responsibility," Rutte said. "Last time I checked Libya was in Africa, not Europe."

Over the past year, what little political structure Libya had has collapsed. There are two rival governments, neither with any real authority, and each fighting the other on the ground. Local militias hold sway around the country, some of them with hard-line Islamist ideologies, and the Islamic State group has emerged as a strong and brutal force.

The makes any military action against traffickers there even more complicated.

"Any kind of military action can only be based on international law," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "There are two possibilities: either a U.N. Security Council Resolution or a unity government in Libya. We have neither at the moment."

Europe itself was hardly a picture of unity when it came to the difficult issue of resettling migrants.

Countries like Germany, Sweden, France and Italy have dealt with a disproportionate number of asylum requests while many eastern and Baltic member states take hardly any. Five of the 28 member states are handling almost 70 percent of the migrants coming in.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, two weeks away from a national election in which immigration is a major issue, said Britain was not planning to take more in migrants that had no reason to come to the U.K. British vessels would take migrants "to the nearest safe country, mostly likely Italy," he said.

Still, despite the differences, Finland's prime minister Alexander Stubb was hopeful that this time Europe could put up a show of solidarity.

"I hope we'll get it right this time," he said.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-04-24

[ourmanflint]

Can't we just build a big floating fence around North Africa?

[hgma]

we can send people to the moon, man a space station cure cancers but are unable to unite one of the most prosperous continents in the world AFRICA

as long as we put business above solidarity and turn a blind eye in exchange for our commodities,leaving heads of state to murder (Uganda) or transform their country in a pull of despair (Zimbabwe) Africans gonna kill migrants from those banana republics and the Western world is the only place they can flee to.

But at what a price!!

What we need is a new world order........and its coming!

[Scott]

Troll post removed.

[gchurch259]

Colonization Pay Back is Hell !! Europe is feeling the pain for all the plunder for Centuries.

[JetsetBkk]

French President Francois Hollande is now saying the UN should destroy the trafficker's boats.

I presume he means when they don't have any immigrants on them.

Who knows?

[Credo]

The boats should not be destroyed. They should be loaded with returnees and sent back.

[MaxYakov]

The boats should not be destroyed. They should be loaded with returnees and sent back.

That's brilliant. Are you willing to pay to make them seaworthy and safe, providing it's even possible to do so?

Edited April 25, 2015 by MaxYakov

[boomerangutang]

U.K. British vessels would take migrants "to the nearest safe country, mostly likely Italy," Cameron said.

I think I speak for Italians when I say to bulldog Cameron, "Thanks, but no thanks."

The migrants should be taken back to North Africa or wherever they came from on sea-worthy vessels. And their original vessels should be sunk or scrapped. EU Patrol boats should patrol along Africa's north coast. I would suggest a person get a small indelible mark each time they get caught (on the left wrist, for example). If caught twice, put em in prison. However, a European prison would be ok with most migrants, because they'd get a climate-controlled shelter to stay with 2 or 3 good meals a day. Plus TV and clean clothes. Better than their miserable existence in their home countries.

[otherstuff1957]

In at least one case, the traffickers retrieved their boat for reuse:

The EU’s Frontex border agency said the people smugglers had fired shots in the air to warn the coastguard vessel and an Icelandic rescue ship tried to reach 250 migrants on an overloaded tugboat on Monday.

But after most of the migrants were rescued from the sea, the traffickers drove their speedboat towards the rescuers firing shots to retrieve the now empty boat.

quoted from: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/human-traffickers-shot-coastguards-tried-5526287

So, if the boat survives one trip, it just makes another!

A big used fishing boat in North Africa might cost about $200,000 - $500,000. Take 200 migrants on board at about $1000 each and you will pay for it with one or two trips (about %10 to %20 of the migrant ships are actually intercepted). After that every migrant is pure profit. If a bigger, cheaper vessel is used, the trafficker will make enough profit that they won't care about repeat trips (a boat that cheap would probably not be seaworthy enough for repeat trips anyway).

I suspect that the price of boats in North Africa is skyrocketing. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing ships being hijacked and used as disposable trafficking boats.

[JockPieandBeans]

Interesting article by an African journo.

Mediterranean migrants crisis: Why is Africa silent?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32480410

I think she sums it up quite well.