VALLETTA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- A group of African migrants on board the MV Aquarius will be distributed among four EU member states, the Maltese government said on Tuesday.
The vessel is currently carrying 58 migrants, whom it had rescued in the Libyan search and rescue zone. The ship had requested permission to disembark its passengers but was refused entry into Italy.
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the Maltese government said that France and Malta had come up with a joint initiative to resolve the issue of where the migrants would disembark.
Earlier on Tuesday, the French government said that it would not let the Aquarius dock in Marseille, as it had been suggested by the NGO operating the ship.
The migrants will now be distributed between France, Portugal, Germany and Spain after disembarking in Malta.
"The 58 persons on board MV Aquarius will be disembarked on a Maltese asset in international waters -- the persons will be disembarked in Malta and all of them will leave the country to be immediately redistributed in another four European Union member states," the government said. This would take place "as soon as it is logistically possible."
The governments of France and Malta said they remained committed to a multilateral and "proactive approach based on the rule of law and solidarity".
Back in July Malta and France played a key role in brokering another agreement that saw a number of migrants, who were on board the MV Lifeline, were distributed among seven states.
In August, Malta allowed the Aquarius to enter its ports again following an agreement for the distribution of the migrants on board.
