Russia scuttles Brussels' plan to destroy migrants boats

Preparations for EU military strikes against boats used by human traffickers in Libya have hit stiff political resistance, forcing diplomats to scale back the ambition of a key plank of Brussels' response to the migration crisis.

Russia on Tuesday signalled it would veto any UN resolution to authorise the destruction of ships in Libyan ports, effectively ruling out the legal authority the EU says it needs to mount such an operation.

Moscow's position chimes with more widespread reservations - shared among some officials in the EU, Washington, the UK and at the UN - over the wisdom and feasibility of intervening in Libyan ports when intelligence is patchy and the operational risks are high.

Given these concerns, officials are increasingly working towards a more restricted mandate for any EU military mission, which could involve a search and rescue role alongside powers to stop and seize smugglers' boats at sea.

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He added that the destruction of ships without a court order and the consent of the host country would amount "to a contravention of the existing norms of international law".

His comments follow a trip to New York by Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, who tested the appetite for a UN resolution, including through a conversation with Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister.

Italy has been at the forefront of the push for a mandate to use military action to stop smugglers' boats from leaving the Libyan coast. The country has borne the brunt of the rescue operations and has had to process and care for the migrants once they are brought to its shores.

But one European official close to the talks said even a more limited mission could be helpful. "Anything more that we can do in Libyan waters is better than what there is now," said the official.

One complicating factor is the civil war that has split Libya between two competing authorities backed by a complex web of armed factions and militias.

European diplomats fear that requesting permission for a military mission could hurt efforts to form a national unity government in Libya. There is concern such a request could make it appear it was taking sides between Libya's internationally recognised government, quartered in the eastern city of Tubruq, and the Islamist-leaning alliance in the western region of Tripoli, from which many of the migrant boats are departing.

Proposals for a military operation in the Mediterranean were seized on at a special summit of EU leaders that attempted to assuage criticism of their handling of the refugee crisis. As many as 1,600 people have died at sea this year as more than 20,000 people made the dangerous crossing in an attempt to reach Europe.

About 6,550 people have been rescued by Italian navy and coastguard ships since last Saturday but at least 40 are estimated to have died at sea, according to survivors' accounts recorded by Save the Children, the aid agency, on Tuesday.

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