VALLETTA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-nine migrants rescued on Friday night by Spanish-flagged charity vessel Open Arms will remain aboard that ship despite Malta offering to allow them in.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Maltese government said that the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms which had rescued the migrants had refused to transfer them to Malta, unless a further 121 people who had been rescued over seven days ago were also disembarked in Malta.
The Armed Forces of Malta were alerted of a potential boat in distress by Alarm Phone in Maltese search and rescue region. Open Arms carried out the rescue mission under the coordination of the Maltese Armed Forces.
The Maltese government said that a naval asset of the AFM was on its way to the rescue.
"Malta has offered to transfer these 39 migrants aboard an AFM vessel and disembark them in Malta," the government said, explaining that the rescue happened in an area of Malta's responsibility.
The Spanish NGO refused unless a further 121 people who were rescued by the crew were also taken in.
Nine days ago, 121 migrants were rescued during two separate operations off the Libyan coast. Open Arms has been denied entry both in Malta and Italy.
Malta could "only shoulder its own responsibility since other solutions are not forthcoming", the government said in the statement on Saturday.
On Friday, a European Commission spokesperson said that the EU was not mediating any negotiations to resolve the current standoff.
