ROME – Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte revealed on Tuesday that Malta has given the green light for the Lifeline rescue vessel, carrying 234 migrants, to lower its anchor at the central Mediterranean island, on condition that they are “immediately redistributed among EU countries,” political sources said.

 Following a phone call with Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Conte said that “the Lifeline NGO ship will dock in Malta.”

 “Consistent with the cardinal principle of our proposal on immigration,” Conte added, “according to which, those who land on the Italian, Spanish, Greek or Maltese coast, land in Europe - Italy will do its bit and receive a quota of the migrants aboard the Lifeline, with the hope that the other European countries do the same.”

 The Maltese government, highlighting that they had led diplomatic efforts over the last 48 hours to find a solution, said that they “want to avoid an escalation of the humanitarian crisis by sharing responsibility between willing states.”

 The incident, according to a Maltese statement, was “caused by the actions of the captain who ignored the instructions given on the basis of international rules by the Italian authorities.”

 Interior Minister Matteo Salvini hailed a victory for his country in their persistence, having called on the ship to be detained. “And two!” Salvini gleefully wrote on Twitter. “After the NGO Aquarius was sent to Spain, now the Lifeline NGO will go to Malta, with this illegal ship that will finally be seized.”

 “For women and children who are really fleeing the war, the doors are open, for all the others no! #stopinvasione,” the anti-migrant League leader tweeted.

 In line with Salvini’s call for the ship’s seizure, the Valletta revealed that they would open “an inquiry into the Lifeline captain.”

 Mission Lifeline, whose search and rescue vessel was stranded for almost five days, welcomed the news after a turbulent week of fierce political negotiations which had brought rescue operations to a standstill. “For days now we have [had] to read on Twitter what happens to us. Hardly any direct message. Now we read, that we are allowed to enter Malta,” Mission Lifeline said.

 They stressed, however, that a safe landing was merely the first step for the migrants on board: “we welcome Maltese support, but we now need EU countries to welcome the people. That was what Malta asked for, and that is what we asked for.”

 The Maltese government concluded by thanking President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, as well as President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, for their assistance in bypassing a humanitarian crisis.

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