Brussels, 06/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - Tuesday's visit to Tunis by Italian Home Affairs Minister Roberto Maroni finally broke the deadlock 24 hours after the unproductive trip by President of the Italian Council Silvio Berlusconi, who had been unable to persuade the interim Tunisian authorities to accept the return of some 20,000 refugees from Italy. The deadlock was broken through a compromise signed immediately by the two countries, Maroni announced from the residence of the Italian ambassador, coyly describing it as a “technical security agreement”. The agreement is intended to “bring closer cooperation between Italian and Tunisian security services through a series of measures and supplying Tunisia with aid and logistical support under a pre-arranged programme”, Maroni said at a press conference. He added that this cooperation sought also to prevent the departure of illegal immigrants for Italy. He “declined to specify the sums allocated for the equipment”, the Tunisian press agency TAP noted, stating, however, that “the agreement contains a chapter on the return of illegal Tunisian migrants”.
The news was confirmed by interim Tunisian Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi, who spoke of “a totally new agreement”, revealing that Italy had agreed to give 22,000 Tunisians the legal right to remain and, thus, to be able to travel throughout the Schengen area. The agreement provides for temporary six-month papers to be issued and for Tunisia automatically to re-admit any further arrivals, Italy says, with a certain discretion. The main thing is to “turn off the tap” according to the expression used by Umberto Bossi, leader of the Northern League. “Italy opens France to Tunisian immigrants”, comments Le Figaro.
Italy's agreement to regularise the situation of the migrants who had arrived in Lampedusa was appreciated by the Tunisians, with the situation in the country described as “stifling” by the prime minister. The growth rate is somewhere between zero and one per cent, which, he said, represents “an obstacle to the creation of an employment programme”. At the same time, he announced that the transitional government had adopted an economic and social programme for the short term, which will concentrate mainly on consolidation of employment, support and funding for businesses, regional development and social action, in order to attenuate the deterioration in the general situation in the country. His government “will bring employment for 60,000 job seekers, with 20,000 jobs in the public sector, the same number in the private sector and also in specific projects”, the press agency reports. This is seen as the only way to prevent any increase in the flow of illegal migrants. (F.B./transl.rt)