The mayor: “Phenomenon exploded. Meloni come here, together we will find a solution”
“Everyone can see that the migratory phenomenon in the government has exploded in his hands, and in this sense I share the words of our President of the Republic when he says that ‘we need to take different paths’. To say it is the mayor of Lampedusa, Filippo Manninoafter the flurry of landings that has brought thousands of migrants to the island since Thursday with over 4,200 visitors this morning in the contrada Imbriacola hotspot.
On the largest of the Pelagie islands, there were 65 landings on Friday with almost 2,000 arrivals and yesterday 55 landings with over 2,000 people disembarked in just 24 hours.
“The emergency declaration itself – adds the mayor – has not produced any concrete results for Lampedusa: none of the problems we have been denouncing for years has been addressed. The theme of waste, still discharged on the municipal budget, the theme of coffins for migrants and funeral services, still in the hands of the municipality of Lampedusa, the small boats that disfigure the coasts and the sea and endanger navigation , a ship dedicated to speedy transfers of migrants to Sicily: nothing. Announcements only”.
“I ask President Meloni to come and spend two days in Lampedusa with me – says Mannino – We’ll sit down in my office, after visiting the island, and together we’ll find a solution. I’m sure”.
“New paths need to be taken – he underlines – The Minister of the Interior must say what he intends to do and above all with what resources. Our patience is running out.” The mayor today met with the Minister for Business Adolfo Urso with whom “we discussed possible measures to be taken to help the entrepreneurial and social fabric of the area, given that the immigration issue has a negative impact on the island”.
“Europe must understand that Italy cannot be left alone. Faced with this extraordinary phenomenon, Europe must intervene“, says Minister Urso.
“My visit is a sign of the government’s attention, having listened to the operators, the prefect and the competent authorities to understand what more and better can be done in the light of the measures” that ministers Matteo Salvini (Infrastructure and Transport) and Piantedosi (Internal) “they have already announced”. In the detail of the measures, Urso did not go too far, limiting himself to saying that the decision “was up to a reflection by the government, I have listened here as it should be done”. In Lampedusa it is also necessary “to understand how best to separate the management of the flow of migrants from the social development of the island and contribute to its development”, he adds, stating that he has found Lampedusa “significantly improved compared to the past”.
According to what has been learned, Urso for three days on the island, with his family, had already met the mayor Filippo Mannino to understand what could be done for the productive development of the island in this state of emergency, also hearing from the other competent ministers such as Raffaele Fitto for EU Affairs, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin for the Environment and Sangiuliano Culture and obviously the president of the Sicily Region Renato Schifani. Then yesterday evening, with the undersecretary to the Prime Minister Alfredo Mantovano and Matteo Piantedosi, they agreed to visit the reception center together with the prefect and the mayor to highlight the attention of the government.
“The mayor of Lampedusa should take into account the sacrifice of the police force and the truly extraordinary results which say the opposite which is there for all to see and which the press is well aware of: the speed of transfers of migrants – this is what we learn from environments of the police headquarters and of the forces of order in Agrigento – Thanks to the effort of the police forces and the structure of the Ministry of the Interior, the Department of the PS and the Department of Civil Liberties with Police Headquarters and Prefectures, the migrants remain on the island for a maximum of 6/36 hours”.
Source-www.adnkronos.com