- Title: Spain to take some migrants on Open Arms ship as ship stands off Italian island
- Date: 15th August 2019
- Summary: LAMPEDUSA, ITALY (AUGUST 15, 2019) (REUTERS) OPEN ARMS RESCUE SHIP ANCHORED OFF COAST OF LAMPEDUSA VARIOUS OF TOURISTS LOOKING AT OPEN ARMS SHIP ANCHORED OFF SHORE OPEN ARMS VESSEL "ASTRAL" VARIOUS OF OPEN ARMS SHIP ANCHORED OFF SHORE
- Embargoed: 29th August 2019 10:30
- Keywords: Migrants rescue ship NGO Open Arms Matteo Salvini
- Location: AT SEA AND LAMPEDUSA, ITALY
- City: AT SEA AND LAMPEDUSA, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002ASBUYBR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Spanish rescue ship Open Arms stood off the Italian island of Lampedusa on Thursday (August 15) hoping to disembark some 150 migrants who have been on board for two weeks.
Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini had refused to allow them to disembark, triggering the latest of a number of standoffs over immigration between European governments since he launched a clampdown after taking office in June 2018 on refugee arrivals by sea.
But a Rome administrative court ruled on Wednesday said that the vessel, also called Open Arms, should be allowed to enter Italian territorial waters.
The office of Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday that Spain had expressed willingness to take some of the migrants once they had disembarked.
The ship was seen anchored five miles (eight km) off Lampedusa. Open Arms' founder Oscar Camps told reporters on Wednesday that the NGO would request medical evacuation for all those on board once the vessel was in Italian waters.
(Production: Guglielmo Mangiapane, Oriana Boselli, Eleanor Biles) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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