ITALY said yesterday its decision to shut its ports to hundred of migrants aboard a charity ship was firm, as a clash between Rome and Paris over migrant policy heated up.

“We will not change our position on ships belonging to non-governmental organizations,” Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said in an interview.

Since Sunday, when both Italy and Malta refused to let them dock, some 629 migrants have been in the central Mediterranean aboard the Aquarius.

Some of the migrants on the overcrowded Aquarius, who are mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were moved onto to two Italian ships from the navy and coastguard and are headed for the port of Valencia, Spain.

The episode, coming a week after the installation of Italy’s new populist government, has heightened tensions within the European Union over migration.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the decision to block the Aquarius, operated by the Franco-German charity SOS Mediterranne, saying international law obligated Italy to take in the migrants.

The situation escalated yesterday morning when Rome’s foreign ministry summoned the French ambassador for an explanation of Macron’s comments.

(SD-Agencies)