Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/994982
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 JUNE 2018 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The CEO post was created by Joseph Muscat to scuttle the elected post of secretary-gen- eral, the de facto 'controller' of the party machinery, so that he could hand-pick the person who holds sway at Labour HQ. But Debattista ignored sug- gestions that his role as CEO could be seen as favouring En- gerer's candidature. Engerer was, until recently, the Prime Minister's Sherpa in Brussels, but was reportedly miffed at not having been selected to be- come Malta's permanent rep- resentative in Brussels. "In every election, it is this party structure that takes de- cisions in the interest of the party, but also in the country's interest. I assure it will be do- ing this. On my part, I have the Prime Minister's trust that I will be working profession- ally. My job is to bring about a favourable result for Labour in the next election… I am cer- tain that the candidates' line- up is going to be a strong one that will ensure Malta benefits from the election result," Deb- attista said. Cyrus Engerer yesterday an- nounced his intention to run for next year's European Par- liament elections with the La- bour Party. In a Facebook post, Engerer said he was welcoming Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's call for him to run for the MEP elections, having been "hon- oured" in the last week by the encouragement he received from various people to contest. In May, Engerer stepped down from his role as the Prime Minister's EU repre- sentative, a position to which he had been appointed in 2015. Engerer, who was in the past a member of the Nationalist Party, and who has served as PN's Sliema Deputy Mayor, later defected to the Labour Party shortly before the 2013 general election. He had subsequently stood for the 2014 European Parlia- ment elections with Labour, only to withdraw his candi- dacy when a court of appeal sentenced him to two years in prison, suspended for two years, after he was found guilty of revenge porn against a for- mer boyfriend. In his Facebook post, Engerer criticised the "behaviour" of Nationalist Party MEPs Rob- erta Metsola and David Casa, who, he said, had in the past five years gone "against what the Maltese believe in". "Malta's six MEPs should always put Malta's interests first," he said, "We might not agree, and may argue amongst ourselves, but we should have one voice when we are repre- senting the white and red flag which unites us." He said he had spent the last few years in Brussels attending European Parliament sessions and listening to the "attacks against Malta", without being able to speak his mind on the matter. "I am determined to bring forward the voice of the Mal- tese," he emphasised, adding that while he would for the time being remain the Prime Minister's consultant on EU policy, he would be doing all he could to ensure Labour had their ninth strong win in the European elections next year. Other candidates for La- bour's line-up include former Orizzont editor, Josef Cutajar, who today works in the Office of the Prime Minister, former Labour Party official, Lorna Vassallo, as well as possible candidatures from youth lead- er Alex Saliba, Josianne Cuta- jar, candidates from the last round of elections, choreogra- pher Felix Busuttil, and Mary Gauci, a former candidate for eurosceptic pan-European group Libertas. NEWS 78 61 87 63 21 9 73 50 16-06-2018 Draw No: 728 Engerer back in Brussels candidates' list In his Facebook post, Engerer criticised the "behaviour" of Nationalist Party MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa, who, he said, had in the past five years gone "against what the Maltese believe in" 500 migrants rescued from Libyan seas to land in Italy MASSIMO COSTA THE Italian coast guard has respond- ed to the calls from four shipwrecked migrant boats, and on Friday dis- patched vessels to recover the refu- gees, who are expected to land in Italy today. La Repubblica reported that the migrants include a group of 41 who had been rescued by the United States navy vessel USS Trenton, af- ter the boat they were on was ship- wrecked. Another 12 migrants on the same boat had lost their lives. Remarks across the Italian media refer to the clear difficulty which the Libyan navy and coast guard are having in controlling their waters, evidenced by the frequent departure of "sea carts" carrying migrants. The same media was also quick to point out that while over 600 migrants from the Aquarius hu- manitarian ship were being taken to Spain, another 500 were on their way to Italy. UK border control ship carrying 46 migrants lands in Reggio Calabria A British border control ship car- rying 46 Iranian and Pakistani refu- gees has landed in the Italian port city of Reggio Calabria, with the decision to welcome the ship having been made yesterday morning. The Giornale di Calabria reported that 27 of the migrants on board the Protector, which is being used for Frontex operations, were men, while there were nine women and ten minors. Once the migrants are finger- printed and photographed by the police, they will be transferred with- in the country according to an allot- ment plan prepared by Italy's Home Affairs ministry. Two NGO ships refused entry to Italy, as Salvini maintains same strategy A day before three Italian navy ships are ex- pected to land in Valencia, Spain with the migrants from the Aquarius rescue ship on board, Italian Home Affairs Minister Matteo Salvini has said he would be declaring Italy's ports as closed for another two NGO ships carrying refugees. Il Fatto Quotidiano said yesterday that res- cue ships Lifeline and Seefuchs, both carry- ing Dutch flags but run by German NGOs, will be denied entry into Italy, as Salvini per- sists with his migration strategy. The Lifeline reportedly rescued 118 per- sons – including 14 women, four children and a newborn – who were experiencing dif- ficulties aboard a rubber dinghy off the coast of Libya. Salvini tweeted that the two NGO ships had arrived off the Libyan coast "waiting for their load of human beings abandoned by smugglers". "Italy no longer wants to be complicit in the business of illegal immigration, and they will therefore have to head to other ports," he said. This triggered a Twitter argument between the German NGO managing Lifeline and the Italian minister, with the rescue ship staff writing that the "fascists" had given the ship publicity on the social media platform. This led Salvini to remark that if a "pseudo- voluntary association" was calling an Italian Deputy Prime Minister a "fascist", it would never be allowed to set foot on Italian land. The NGO replied, sarcastically, that they hadn't meant to call Salvini a fascist, but their "mouse had slipped", with the Home Affairs Minister in turn replying that Italians would be the ones to rule their own country. Rescued migrants aboard the Aquarius, the NGO ship that was refused entry to Italy and which Malta also said would not give safe harbour to since it affected the rescue of some 629 migrants in the Libyan search and rescue area. The Aquarius was granted permission by the new Spanish government to sail to Valencia and disembark the migrants there While over 600 migrants from the Aquarius humanitarian ship were being taken to Spain, another 500 were on their way to Italy