Italy’s govt refuses safe harbor to charity ship Aquarius carrying migrants

Italy on Monday said it would not offer safe harbor to the 141 people rescued by the humanitarian ship Aquarius off the coast of Libya last week. The Aquarius, run by Franco-German charity SOS Mediterranee and Doctors without Borders (MSF), picked up the migrants in two separate operations and is now in international waters between Italy and Malta. The Aquarius spent nine days at sea in June after the new government in Rome shut its ports to all humanitarian boats, Reuters said. “It can go where it wants, not in Italy!” Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said of the Aquarius on Twitter, mentioning France, Germany, Britain or Malta as destinations, adding that “human traffickers and their accomplices” should be stopped. The European Commission is in touch with several EU states and trying to help resolve the “incident” with the Aquarius, according to a spokesman in Brussels.