M01-439

Silvio Berlusconi, President of the Italian Council, visited Tunisia to meet with Prime Minister Béji Caïd Essebsi. During a press conference, he announced the establishment of a Tunisian-Italian technical commission to "examine" the issue of immigration. In a brief statement, he noted that Italy would provide financial assistance to Tunisia to enable it to effectively control its coastline, without offering further details. “The urgent issue at hand is the high number of young Tunisians currently in Italy who wish to emigrate to Europe,” lamented the Italian prime minister. “The flow of migrants continues; on the night between Saturday and Sunday, 800 Tunisian migrants arrived, hence the need to find a solution,” he added. Mr. Berlusconi assured that “the repatriation of Tunisians will be carried out in a civilized manner,” emphasizing that the Italian government seeks “the best solutions, given the strong ties of friendship between the two countries.” Tensions have risen in recent days between the two countries over the issue of the mass departures of undocumented Tunisian migrants to Lampedusa. The small island, off the coast of Tunisia, has been overwhelmed by a wave of immigrants since the beginning of the year—more than 22,000, mostly Tunisians.

No online payment: licensing is quoted individually based on usage, print run and duration of use.