The refugees received are those who are “eligible for asylum”, indicated Gérald Darmanin, repeating that “those who cannot obtain asylum will return directly to their countries of origin”.
More than 20 days of wandering in the Mediterranean Sea, and finally, dry land. The humanitarian ship Ocean Viking is due to disembark 230 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean on Friday at the military port of Toulon, a first in France which is causing great tension with Italy and triggering a new controversy on the burning subject of immigration.
>> “Ocean Viking”: “two thirds” of the migrants on board the ship will be welcomed by nine European countries, assures Gérald Darmanin
After three weeks of wandering in vain in search of a safe port in Italy, the Ocean Viking, an ambulance boat chartered by the NGO SOS Méditerranée, will dock in Toulon, “exceptionally“and under”of a duty of humanity“, announced the French Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin on Thursday.
Where do these immigrants come from?
The ship, whose fate sparked several days of arm wrestling between Paris and Rome, must arrive at the military port on Friday, around 8 a.m., to disembark the migrants. “All passengers will be placed in a waiting area“, indicates the Ministry of the Interior. In concrete terms, this is an international zone, which allows control procedures to be carried out without authorizing entry into French territory. The survivors on board the Ocean Viking, whose 57 children rescued off Libyawill not be able to leave the administrative center where they will be put and will therefore not technically be on French soil“, said Gérald Darmanin.
All measures will be taken toto provide the necessary health and medical assistance to the passengers of the ship, to ensure adequate security checks by the specialized services, to examine asylum applications within the framework of an accelerated asylum procedure at the border “, investigated in 48 hours by OFPRA (French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons). The passengers of the Ocean Viking are Bangladeshis, Eritreans, Syrians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Malians, Sudanese and Guineans.
Thursday, four of the 234 migrants on the ship, including three for medical reasons and one accompanying person, were evacuated to Bastia, Corsica). The rescue operations took place at the end of the morning: an air force helicopter with a medical team took off around 11 a.m. from the Solenzara base in Corsica to pick up the patients, detailed to AFP frigate captain Pierre-Louis Josselin, spokesman for the maritime prefecture. One of these patients”is unstable and unresponsive to onboard care since October 27. The other two suffered injuries in Libya which … now risk having long-term negative consequences“, detailed a spokesperson for SOS Méditerranée, which charters the Ocean Viking.
Refugees welcomed are those who are “eligible for asylum“, added the minister, repeating that “those who cannot obtain asylum will return directly to their countries of origin“. Contacts are made with the countries concerned to proceed with the procedures “allowing”the expulsion of those who do not meet the conditions of asylum“, told AFP the entourage of the minister.
Nine European countries have pledged to host the “two-thirds“of the 234 migrants collected by the Ocean Viking, indicated Gérald Darmanin. They are from Germany, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Luxembourg and Ireland.”They will take together more than two thirds of the people on board. This is the European solidarity that the Italians did not want“, also specified the Minister of the Interior. Among these countries, Germany must welcome “more than 80 people“, he specified on TF1. Migrants who do not receive asylum “will be deported directly from the waiting area to their countries of origin.“
The prefect of Var, Evence Richard, and the prefect director general of foreigners in France, Eric Jalon, will hold a press conference this Friday at 9 a.m. to present the reception system for the Ocean Viking.