The hardline eurosceptic said the refusal sends a message to EU leaders that Italy cannot handle the burden of the migrant crisis
ITALY'S hardline deputy Prime Minister said the decision to turn away 629 stranded migrants to Spain is just the beginning for his staunchly eurosceptic government.
Matteo Salvini, whose coalition promised to get tough on immigration, declared it a "victory" for the country which has been the main entry point for those fleeing north Africa and the Middle East.
Tensions between asylum seekers and charity workers flared on the Aquarius vessel as the hundreds picked up off the Libyan coast were told they face another three days at sea.
Spain agreed to take the migrants, rescued from rickety smuggler boats, after both Italy and Malta denied them access to dock.
Salvini tweeted "Victory!" then said: "The game doesn't end today... It's the first important signal that Italy cannot handle this enormous burden alone.
"The problem was solved thanks to the big heart of the Spanish Government but the EU cannot keep depending on big hearts."
Humanitarian workers on board the Aquarius, a migrant rescue ship formerly used by the German coastguard, risked mutiny among the furious and exhausted migrants last night.
Operated by SOS Mediterranee, the vessel has been stuck 35 nautical miles off the coast of Sicily since Saturday, when Italy refused permission to dock.
Officials initially shielded migrants from the truth but, faced with a barrage of questions and frustration, were forced to tell them why they were still at sea three days later.
Italy today brought fresh supplies to the migrants, who include more than 100 unaccompanied minors and seven pregnant women.
But with a storm approaching, the Doctors Without Borders charity blasted the new plan to take the asylum seekers to Valencia, Spain.
It tweeted: "This plan would mean already exhausted rescued people would endure four more days travel at sea.
"The better option would be to disembark the rescued people in the nearest port after which they can be transferred to Spain or other safe countries for further care and legal processing."
Spain's foreign minister said it accepted the entrants to push EU leaders into addressing the bloc's migration policies later this month.
An EU summit later this month is due to consider changes to asylum law to better share the burden of incoming migrants.
More than 1.8 million have entered Europe since 2014, with more than 600,000 arriving in Italy alone.
SOS Mediterranee said an approaching storm would bring with it waves of over 2 metres (6.5 ft) making any trip to Spain highly uncomfortable.
In a fiery inaugural speech, Italy's new Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte branded Europe's immigration policy a "failure" and vowed to redistribute migrants evenly throughout the bloc.
Conte, who was sworn in as head of Europe's first "populist" government on June 1, said other nations must take more refugees and help to send back those who were refused asylum.
He added: "We will end the immigration business which has grown out of all proportion under the cloak of fake solidarity."
