France will be one of six EU countries to take in the 233 migrants abord the NGO boat Lifeline, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday, while accusing the rescue ship of "playing into the hands of (people) smugglers"
The Lifeline has been stranded for days in the Mediterranean without a port to dock at after picking up the migrants in distress off the Libyan coast last week.
Each country will take "a few dozen individuals," said Macron at a press conference in Rome.
But the French president criticised the German NGO Mission Lifeline saying it had defied "all the rules" by coming to the migrants rescue when the Libyan coastguard was already intervening.
"We cannot permanently accept this situation," he warned, adding "in the end we are playing into the hands of smugglers by reducing the risks of the journey."
Macron said that Europe wanted to "strengthen its cooperation with the Libyan coastguards" to "limit the movements" of migrants.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks after meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican Source: EPA / Claudio Peri
"The ability to close this route is the most effective and also the most humane," he said.
"Europe can take its share but it cannot take more than its share", he added.
"These young people leave because they have no hope... We will be there to live up to our principles but without saying that anything is possible and that Europe is a new Eldorado," Macron said.
The Maltese government has agreed to take in the Lifeline on condition that an agreement to distribute the migrants among EU member countries was reached.
Portugal, France and Italy are among the countries involved in the negotiations.
The Lifeline NGO tweeted that "we now need EU countries to welcome the people. That was what Malta asked for, and that is what we asked for."
Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini quickly hailed the news that a second migrant ship he had turned away would be taken in elsewhere. Earlier this month, Rome rejected the Aquarius ship carrying 630 migrants, forcing it to eventually dock in Spain.
"For women and children really fleeing the war the doors are open, for everyone else they are not!" he tweeted.
Salvini has repeatedly warned foreign charities to stop rescuing migrants off Libya, insisting Italian ports "are and will be closed to those who aid human traffickers".
'Ready to help'
The decision by Italy's new hardline government and Malta to turn away rescue vessels has plunged Europe into a political crisis over how to collectively handle the huge numbers of people fleeing war and misery in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux earlier told RTL radio that "a European solution seems to be emerging".
He insisted there was no migrant "crisis" but urged leaders "to respond quickly to an urgent situation".
"France is ready to send a team on site to process (asylum) requests on a case-by-case basis," as it did for migrants aboard the Aquarius once it docked in Spain.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Madrid would take part in a "joint response" over Lifeline, but "several countries must participate".
More than 2000 migrants trying to reach Europe have been plucked from the Mediterranean. (AAP) Source: AP
Italy and Malta say they are unfairly bearing the brunt of the new arrivals, while other European countries are urging more forceful policies to block their entry.
During a surprise visit to Libya on Monday, Salvini called for processing centres to be set up in various unnamed African countries to deal with potential migrants in a move "to help Libya as well as Italy block migration".
Similarly, France has proposed setting up EU asylum processing centres in Africa aimed at discouraging people to attempt dangerous trips.
Libya is a gateway for thousands of refugees and migrants hoping to reach Europe. Hundreds drown each year attempting the perilous crossing over the Mediterranean in often rickety boats.
Its coastguard said it had rescued nearly 1,000 people on Sunday, and Spanish authorities said they had picked up more than 600 others on Monday.
War of words
On Sunday, 16 EU leaders held emergency talks in Brussels in a bid to break the longstanding deadlock over who should take in the migrants, the bulk of whom have been landing in Italy and Greece.
A full EU summit is scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
The current row came to a head earlier this month over the Aquarius incident.
A war of words saw French President Emmanuel Macron accuse Rome of "irresponsibility"for turning away the boat, while Italy denounced Paris for hypocrisy in pushing migrants back across their shared border.
The issue was raised during a meeting at the Vatican Tuesday between Macron and Pope Francis, who has called for "solidarity" with migrants.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing an ultimatum from her hardline interior minister who has given her until the end of June to find an EU deal to curb new arrivals.
