(MENAFN) The head of the EU border agency Frontex criticised charities that rescue migrants off Libya on Monday, arguing that they encourage the traffickers who profit from dangerous Mediterranean crossings.
Such rescue operations "should be reevaluated," Fabrice Leggeri told Germany's Die Welt daily, also accusing the groups of not effectively cooperating with security agencies against human traffickers.
Leggeri said 40 percent of recent rescue operations at sea off the North African country "were carried out by non-government organisations".
He acknowledged that under maritime law, everyone at sea has a duty to rescue vessels and people in distress.
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