Brussels, 19/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) published an open letter in 13 European newspapers on Thursday 19 May calling on European leaders to take in migrants fleeing Libya. In the letter, MSF is critical: “In the name of protecting civilians in Libya, the leaders of several member states of the European Union have committed their countries to a war against the forces of Muammar Gaddafi. However, the member states of the European Union are hiding behind the fight against illegal immigration to avoid taking their responsibilities to allow these victims of war to enter Europe”.
MSF points out: “The conflict has already displaced more than 750,000 civilians, who have fled violence in their country. Despite difficult conditions, Tunisia and Egypt have already received more than 630,000 of these people”. It says that European states are sending back people who have risked their lives to reach Europe.
The letter notes the legal obligation to respect the rights of victims of war: “The European Union and its member states must guarantee their non-refoulement from Europe's territorial waters and lands, and ensure that they are properly received in Europe, with access to asylum procedures when they request it”. According to UNHCR figures, more than 14,000 refugees fleeing the war in Libya have so far arrived in Malta and Lampedusa. On 12 May, at a ministerial conference in Brussels, the EU said it was ready to take in the just over 700 people stranded at the crossings out of Libya. (S.P./transl.rt)