Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/513060
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 MAY 2015 10 News MIRIAM DALLI AND JURGEN BALZAN THE announcement of the EU's comprehensive plan to stem the deadly human trafficking trade, which this year alone has cost the lives of at least 1,800 asylum seek- ers, was welcomed by many, but its approval is neither universal nor guaranteed. The most pronounced opposi- tion came from the internationally recognized Libyan government in Tobruk, with its United Nations ambassador warning the plan could jeopardise Libya's sover- eignty and undermine attempts to achieve some sort of stability in the war-torn country. The EU plan includes operations "to systematically identify, capture and destroy vessels used by smug- glers" but Libya's UN envoy, Ibra- him Dabbashi voiced suspicion on the real intentions behind the EU's plan to have a military presence on Libyan soil and its seas, adding that such a plan could "raise more problems than it solves". He also expressed deep reserva- tions about the European plan, pointing out that Libyan fisher- men's livelihoods could be at risk as their vessels might get destroyed during such operations, which to- tally depend on intelligence gath- ered by foreign operatives. According to the agenda, Euro- pean agencies Frontex and Europol "will also develop profiles of ves- sels which could be used by smug- glers, following patterns to identify potential vessels and monitor their movements". But Dabbashi cautioned "it will be very difficult to distinguish be- tween fishermen and trafficking boats. It could be disastrous for fishermen." In an interview with Foreign Policy, Dabbashi said "If we have to ask for assistance we will ask for assistance of the Security Council to extend the authority of the Lib- yan government over all of Libya," he said. Dabbashi's skepticism echoed the criticism voiced by the ren- egade general leading the Tobruk government's offensive against the Libya Dawn militias which es- tablished a parallel government in Tripoli last year. General Khalifa Haftar said Libya would be open for coopera- tion with the EU but warned that military action on Libyan territory would be "unwise". Before going ahead with its plan, the EU requires either a resolu- tion of the United Nations Secu- rity Council or permission by the Libyan political forces. According to international media, the United Nations was considering green lighting a European military action against the people smugglers in Libya's territorial waters. The question however remains as to whether Russia, which has veto power at the Security Coun- cil, will agree to the resolution. It has already objected to the use of the word "destroy" in reference to the smugglers' boats. According to Foreign Policy, American diplomats have also pri- vately raised concerns with foreign officials about the wisdom of try- ing to adopt the resolution under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, a provision used to authorise sanc- tions or the use of military force. Foreign Policy also said that some diplomats, however, say they suspect the US is reluctant to see the Security Council getting into the business of addressing migra- tion issues because it doesn't want to set a precedent that might in- vite other governments to call for council consideration of American migration policies. UN mandate or Libyan authorisation 'non-negotiable' Academic Stephen Calleya, direc- tor of the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies (MEDAC), said the urgency to address the mi- gration situation in the Mediterra- nean had become obvious. "The international community must take specific action to address the humanitarian issue. When it comes to the military action per se, and the extent to which the trafficking will be addressed, it is clear that any use of force requires a UN Security Council mandate or a specific request by the country's authorities for it to be legitimate." Calleya said this was non-negoti- able in international relations, irre- spective of the nature of the force. Asked about the dangers of tar- geting the wrong boats, Calleya said that if an action is authorised, it would be impossible to predict what would ultimately happen. "This is why a clear mandate is needed. Without that, any other intervention severely runs the risk of not meeting the required inter- national legal framework which one is supposed to abide by." Calleya drove home the message that the EU should push tremen- dously its search and rescue mis- sion where border control should not exclude saving lives. "The EU should immediately in- troduce a comprehensive search and rescue mechanism specifically in the centre of the Mediterranean because of the realities that exist," he said. The European Agenda on Migra- tion was also welcomed by Briga- dier Ret'd Martin Xuereb, director of the Migration Offshore Aid Sta- tion (MOAS). The private mission helped res- Security, humanitarian concerns Libya issues security warning over EU plans to destroy smuggler boats even as the proposed resettlement scheme is dubbed as inadequate by humanitarian organisations Stephen Calleya Brigadier Martin Xuereb