Rome (AFP)

Six EU countries are ready to welcome some of the 147 migrants on the humanitarian ship of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, currently in front of the Italian island of Lampedusa, at the moment when the authority of Matteo Salvini, holding a hard line against migrants is being undermined.

"France, Germany, Romania, Portugal, Spain and Luxembourg have just told me that they are ready to receive migrants," Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Thursday in a letter open letter to Mr Salvini, Italian Minister of the Interior.

"Once again, my European counterparts are reaching out to us," said Mr Conte, criticizing very severely on this issue Mr Salvini, who calls since last Thursday to dismiss him.

The power of Matteo Salvini, head of the League (far right) and current Deputy Prime Minister, is weakened since he shattered last Thursday his government alliance, formed for 14 months with the Movement Five Stars (M5S , anti-system). The fate of the ship Open Arms was the illustration Thursday.

"I decided not to sign the new decree of the Minister of the Interior to prevent the entry, transit and stopping in the territorial waters of the boat of the Open Arms NGO," said Thursday the minister of the Italian Defense Elisabetta Trenta.

The Minister of the Interior, who calls for a rotation in Europe of the ports of landing, had signed in early August a decree prohibiting, in the name of the defense of public order, the Italian waters at the Open Arms.

A decision by an administrative court, following an appeal by Open Arms, however, suspended Wednesday the first decree.

In the wake, Matteo Salvini signed a new decree to block the road to the boat.

The decrees of Mr. Salvini must be signed by the Minister of Defense, who happens to be a member of M5S, a formation that clearly does not intend to follow his orders after being released.

- "Humanity" -

"I made this decision motivated by strong legal reasons, listening to my conscience, we must never forget that behind the controversies of the past few days, there are children and young people who have suffered violence and abuse. "Politics can never lose sight of humanity," Elisabetta Trenta said in her statement Thursday.

The day before, she had already dispatched two ships to escort the Open Arms, in order to evacuate the 32 miners who have already spent two weeks on board.

Reacting on social networks Thursday, Matteo Salvini sharply retorted: "humanity does not mean helping traffickers and NGOs."

"It is thanks to this presumed concept + of humanity that in the years of democratic government, Italy has become the refugee camp of Europe", he asserted, judging that "humanity it is seriously investing in Africa, certainly not opening the Italian ports ".

Proactiva, who had assured the day before that she was not planning to force-in, said on Thursday that the migrants on board "know that there is no port for them, but to see the mainland calm ".

The Ocean Viking, the SOS Mediterranean ship and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) which is also looking for a port for more than 350 migrants, was heading north Thursday and was well beyond Lampedusa and Malta.

© 2019 AFP