A fresh controversy was brewing between Italy and Malta Today after Rome turned back a Maltese patrol with 66 rescued immigrants just 24 miles off Lampedusa, dpa reported. Maltese officials are said to be incensed after the Italian authorities initially indicated that they would be cooperating with the Armed Forces of Malta, according to sources who spoke with the German Press Agency dpa. The would-be illegal immigrants were picked up from a dinghy by a Maltese patrol boat, after the Italians said they had no rescue vessels to mount a rescue Wednesday night, the sources said. But when the Maltese patrol boat arrived just off Italian territorial waters, it was intercepted by two Italian vessels and told not to proceed further. The patrol boat is now proceeding to Malta with the immigrants, made up of Nigerians and Bangladeshis, among others, on board. At least one of those on board is reported to need urgent hospital treatment. The incident takes place just a fortnight after the Pinar E controversy, when over 140 immigrants were left stranded off Lampedusa for three days, after the rescue vessel was refused entry by both Italy and Malta. The Italian authorities had insisted that the immigrants should be taken to Malta, which is responsible for the search and rescue region. Malta maintained, however, that in terms of international conventions it had signed, the immigrants had to be landed at the nearest safe port, in this case Lampedusa. Italy eventually allowed the immigrants to land in Sicily. Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni and his Maltese counterpart Carm Mifsud Bonnici subsequently met in Brussels to discuss the matter. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Jacques Barrot had later said that the immigrants should be taken to the closest safe harbour.
