Italy: Military Operation Plan Against Human Traffickers in the Mediterranean Ready

The Italian government on Wednesday urged the European Union to take specific and decisive measures, including military operations against human traffickers and increasing the presence of United Nations offices in neighboring countries of Libya and other parts of Africa, to combat the deadly wave of migration in the Mediterranean Sea. Roberta Pinotti, Italy's Minister of Defense, stated in an interview with international media: "We know where traffickers hide their boats and where their gathering centers are. The military operation plan against them is ready." According to the Associated Press, Libya's shores have become the main point of departure for migrants heading to Europe in recent years. The Italian Minister of Defense added that if the European Union requests this from Italy and a military action against traffickers is approved by the United Nations, Italy is willing to take command and most of the responsibility for this operation. She said: "We are ready to take our share. We are the closest European country to this region." Roberta Pinotti made these statements a day before the EU leaders' summit, which is being held in response to the drowning of 800 migrants on Sunday, the deadliest maritime disaster in the Mediterranean Sea. In the latest action by the Italian Navy, about 450 migrants were rescued on Tuesday from a fishing boat in waters near southern Italy. The Italian Navy reported that about 60 of the rescued individuals are children. Roberta Pinotti expressed some hope that EU leaders would pay attention to Italy's proposals during their meeting on Thursday. Many of the migrant boats in the past two years have been heading to the southern coasts of Italy and often encounter accidents in the waters south of this country. So far, hundreds of these individuals have been rescued by the Italian Navy and brought to Italy. The Associated Press adds that on Wednesday, in addition to the Italian Minister of Defense, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi also spoke in a parliamentary session about the migrant crisis and urged the EU to adopt a long-term and comprehensive policy regarding this crisis. Matteo Renzi stated: "When people flee from areas where beheading has become commonplace, we cannot prevent their flight and migration with repetitive statements. However, establishing UN refugee offices in Niger, Sudan, and other parts of Africa could be effective." The Italian Minister of Defense also emphasized that Italy cannot accept all the asylum seekers who want to come to Europe, and by establishing UN refugee offices in Sudan, Niger, Tunisia, and even southern Libya, the process of handling asylum requests and transferring eligible individuals to Europe can be managed better. Since the beginning of 2014, Italy has rescued about 200,000 migrants adrift at sea and granted them asylum in its territory. However, the Prime Minister emphasized that merely "humanitarian and generous actions by Italy are not enough." Given that according to European laws, these migrants are considered illegal, during the period of processing their asylum requests, which can take a long time, Italy keeps them in special centers. However, many of them gradually leave these centers and go to northern European countries and places where their relatives live.