Italy to allow migrants rescued by EU naval operation to land over coming weeks

Italy’s Foreign Ministry has said Rome will allow migrants rescued by a European Union naval operation to land over the coming weeks while EU member states figure out how to divide up new arrivals, AP reported. Italy is seeking to renegotiate Operation Sophia’s mandate to prevent rescued migrants from being brought exclusively to Italy. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday that, over the next five weeks, EU countries will discuss how rescued migrants can be distributed in Europe. Sophia’s commander recently ordered participating ships to return to port. However, German officials said on Monday that a German ship participating in the operation had set out to sea again.