Criticism from human rights groups

Malta has received strong criticism from human rights groups for its actions during this crisis, says the BBC's Danny Wood in Madrid. From The BBC:

Malta had initially refused to allow the ship to dock, saying the Africans were rescued outside its territorial waters. Three of the migrants, a pregnant woman, a mother and a baby, were allowed ashore on Tuesday for medical treatment. It had said the men, women and children were the responsibility of Spain or Libya since the boat was Spanish and the migrants were picked up in Libya's search-and-rescue zone..

..But Malta, which joined the EU in 2004, says it has no more capacity to deal with illegal immigrants and has been pressing the EU to help. The European Commission's leading role in resolving the crisis is a sign that the EU is getting serious about helping member states with illegal immigration problems, our correspondent says. "Europe has finally realised our limits. This has been an example of collaboration and how such a burden can be shared," Malta's Foreign Minister Michael Frendo said.

On Wednesday, a plan to create rapid reaction teams of border guards to deal with European Union immigration crises was unveiled by the European Commission. Most of the migrants are thought to be from Eritrea Meanwhile, the Spanish crew which rescued the migrants last Friday have been hailed as heroes in Spain. "What they did shows the sort of men they are," Pepi Irles, wife of the boat's captain, told reporters. The Spanish government said it would award the crew a merit medal for saving 51 lives, Reuters news agency reported.

From The International Herald Tribune: Africans allowed ashore, but EU policy stays adrift