Brussels, 07/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - A further incident erupted between Italy and Malta on Wednesday 6 May, after two vessels with 140 migrants on board were found drifting less than 100 km from the Italian island of Lampedusa, but in a Maltese search and rescue area. For several hours, the two countries refused to take responsibility for the migrants who, ultimately, were taken to Lampedusa. This is the fourth incident of this type in the Mediterranean this month, with the two countries accusing one another of failing to respect international commitments. Malta has yet to sign the latest amendment to the maritime search and rescue (SAR) convention. Thus, for Malta, anyone picked up in its search and rescue area should be taken to the nearest safe port. Italy has signed the latest amendment which stipulates that any immigrant found in a country's SAR area becomes the responsibility of that country. This dispute between Malta and Italy over accepting migrants picked up at sea shows no sign of abating. The Maltese authorities decided on Monday 4 May that migrants on unseaworthy vessels should be landed at the nearest port. In other cases, they were to receive the aid they required “to be able to continue their voyage without danger” towards Italy, according to reports in the Times of Malta. Assistance needs were to be decided on a case-by-case basis. The Maltese government decision came only a few days after another incident. At the end of April, Malta accepted a vessel carrying 66 migrants “for humanitarian reasons”, after Italy refused to allow the migrants to land at Lampedusa, the Maltese government said. Yet the migrants were picked up close to the Italian island. European Commissioner with responsibility for immigration Jacques Barrot refused to become any further embroiled between the two countries. He said simply on Wednesday 6 May that he would raise the issue at June's Justice and Home Affairs Council. “We will try to give Malta and Italy as much help as we can, but Europe and the other member states have to be aware of an issue that cannot be left to just two member states to sort out,” he said. (B.C./transl.rt)