Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini responded, saying he wouldn’t allow any of the migrants to disembark, and threatened to deploy law enforcement. He has insisted that the boat should have continued to other ports during the two-week standoff, and not remain close to Italy. A rescue operation is not finished until every single person rescued has both feet on the ground,” Sadik said. It is the latest standoff since Italy’s populist government began refusing port last year to humanitarian rescue ships. Most migrants try to enter European Union member Greece from Turkey by sea, making a relatively short crossing to nearby Greek islands.

Source: Libya Today June 26, 2019 15:22 UTC