Ireland will "play its part" in supporting Italy and other southern Mediterranean countries in dealing with the migration crisis, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has said, including possibly receiving refugees from conflict zones.
Speaking to The Irish Times at the fringes of today's meeting of Foreign Affairs ministers in Luxembourg, Mr Flanagan described the latest sinking in the Mediterranean Sea as "unacceptable".
Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald is also due in Luxembourg on Monday afternoon for an emergency meeting of EU justice ministers which has been convened in the wake of Sunday's boat tragedy in which hundreds of African migrants are believed to have lost their lives.
"This is an absolutely shocking tragedy, the latest in a series of unacceptable tragedies. Unscrupulous traffickers in totally unseaworthy vessels have attempted to transport people to the European Union, " Minister Flanagan said.
“I believe it’s not sufficient for one jurisdiction to bear responsibility as a receiving state. What’s needed is for the European Union to speak with one voice, and to act urgently on this unacceptable series of events. I believe the Italians need the support of other EU member states and I expect that this is an issue upon which we will attempt to find a resolution this afternoon.”
Asked if Ireland would be prepared to accept asylum-seekers from affected areas in Northern Africa and the Middle East, Mr Flanagan said that Ireland will "play our part in that regard. We have done so to date. We have agreed to accept in excess of 200 Syrians, some of whom are in the course of being settled in my own constituency."
“I would envisage a situation where each and every EU member state accepts a measure of responsibility in this regard because the current situation cannot continue,” he said, adding that the EU response would be discussed in more detail this afternoon.
Foreign ministers opened their meeting this morning with a minute's silence, followed by an address by the Italian and Maltese foreign ministers. Ministers were also briefed by the UN envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon about the latest developments in the North African country which is being controlled by two rival factions.
The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, a former Italian foreign minister, has been urging the European Union to engage more with the conflict in Libya, including possibly sending troops to the region if a government of national unity is formed. Most European countries, including Ireland, are against this, however and are instead pushing for a political solution to the current chaos in the country.
On Sunday, Amnesty International called on European governments to "face their responsibilities" and set up a multi-country humanitarian operation.
"What we are witnessing in the Mediterranean is a man-made tragedy of appalling proportions. These latest deaths at sea come as a shock, but not a surprise," said John Dalhuisen, head of Amnesty for Europe and Central Asia.
Countries such as Greece, Italy and Malta have long argued that they carry an unfair burden in terms of illegal immigration into Europe, a situation that is exacerbated by the so-called 'Dublin' convention, an EU law which states that asylum-seekers must apply for asylum in their country of arrival.
"What's at stake is the reputation of the European Union," Italy's foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said on his way into this morning's meeting, while British foreign secretary Philip Hammond said those who organise the trafficking of people must be targeted.
The crisis “requires a comprehensive European response including targeting the criminals who are managing this traffic,” he said on arrival in Luxembourg.
