Brussels, 05/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - The fate of Tunisian migrants arriving in Lampedusa, some of whom have been transferred to other parts of Italian territory, seems to be a cause of friction between Rome and Tunis to the extent that the visit by the Italian head of government to Tunisia on Monday did not result in the hoped-for agreement (see yesterday's bulletin). Silvio Berlusconi avoided having to answer press questions after his talk with the interim prime minister of Tunisia, Beji Caïd Essebsi. He simply issued a statement announcing that his home minister would be back in Tunis again in the very near future to rekindle talks on the re-entry of the migrants and with a substantial offer of cooperation for Tunisia in hand. On this occasion, he announced that a technical committee of Tunisian and Italian home ministers would be carrying out in-depth examination of the matter. Italy's Interior Minister Roberto Maroni is expected to arrive in Tunis on Tuesday, according to the Tunisian media.
Silvio Berlusconi has chosen to adopt a conciliatory tone after the recent polemic that followed Frattini and Maroni's visit to the Tunisian capital one week ago. “We understand these young people who are deprived of democracy, of freedom, of social well-being, and who decide to migrate to Europe, considered as an Eldorado by southerners looking for a new life”, he said. However, he went on, the tiny island of Lampedusa (where the migrants land), which today has 5,000 inhabitants and 6,000 migrants, is having to face enormous difficulties caused by this “human tsunami”. “Eight hundred more migrants arrived last night, and it is now urgent to find a solution”, he asserted. Italy, he explained as reported in the local media, is willing to provide aid to ensure effective control on land and at sea to allow the Tunisian authorities to step up their controls along their coast. This would be done in an “absolutely civilised manner”, the Cavaliere assured, indicating moreover that an Italian-French summit bringing together the interior, foreign and economy ministers of both countries is scheduled this week to examine the economic support that can be afforded to Tunisia which is itself suffering from a similar problem caused by the massive inflow of refugees fleeing violence in Libya.
Furthermore, in Tunis on Monday, a group of NGOs denounced the “inhumane and humiliating” conditions of the Tunisian migrants blocked at Lampedusa. The Ligue tunisienne des droits de l'homme (LTDH), which works in the defence of social and human rights, and the Fédération des Tunisiens pour une citoyenneté des deux rives (FTCR) called on the Tunisian authorities to refuse all pressure aimed at making them take measures counter to the international conventions on human rights and migrants' rights. “Tunisia must refuse any massive repatriation of illegal migrants and any Italian demands for police controls on emigration, which can only apply in the context of dictatorial police regimes”, said Omeyya Naoufel Seddik, a FTCR representative, who added: “If Europe is truly a partner of Tunisia, it must support the democratic process in the country and not set up obstacles”. He felt the positions taken by Italy and France are tantamount to “bribery” as they make granting advanced partner status to Tunisia subject to Tunisia's adoption of a “coercive emigration policy”. (F.B./transl.jl)