Brussels, 08/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - A delegation of six members of the European Parliament, led by Simon Busuttil (EPP-ED, Malta), was in Libya on Monday and Tuesday, to assess the impact of illegal immigration in this country. The MEPs met various ministers with responsibility for this dossier. "We would like to send out a very clear message to the Libyan authorities: we did not come to accuse you of anything, nor to ask you to provide controls for the borders of Europe. We came to promote cooperation on a joint problem", Mr Busuttil told the press on Thursday. This visit of the sub-committee on human rights comes further to a visit, by a delegation of the EP, to the island of Lampedusa (Sicily) last September (EUROPE 9031). The MEPs wish to identify practical ways are co-operating with Libya in order to manage migratory flows, to gain information about the fate reserved for illegal immigrants sent back by Italy and to assess the situation for those remaining in Libyan detention centres. On this, the Libyan vice-Minister for foreign affairs, Mohammed Tahar Sila, confirmed that all illegal migrants sent back by Italy are repatriated to their country of origin. The delegation insisted on visiting a detention centre in Tripoli, and speaking to a few of the 360 emigrants in it. All of them were waiting to be sent back to their country of origin, including those who had left their country of origin for political or safety reasons. One of the main fears voiced by Mr Busuttil is that "Libya is not a signatory of the Geneva Convention on refugees and, at this moment in time, does not recognise the existence of refugees or asylum seekers". Libya has, nonetheless, promised to adopt new legislation on asylum within the next few months. According to a report published last April by the Commission, Libya has 6 million inhabitants, including between 750,000 and 1.2 million illegal residents (EUROPE 8924). It is starting to grow concerned about immigration issues, particularly those affecting it as a destination and transit country to Europe, and this is, without doubt, one of the reasons why "the Libyan authorities have been much more cooperative than at the last visit of a delegation from the Parliament in April 2005", said Simon Busuttil. In order for Libya to be prepared to co-operate fully on the illegal immigration each issues and to break its policy of open borders to the sub-Saharan countries, the EU will have to put some genuine financial arguments on the table. The EU and Libya must meet between now and the end of the year to adopt a joint action plan. The Commission hopes that it will be able to establish operational cooperation by early next year.