Deputy prime minister Tonio Borg held urgent talks with his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Pisanu on Friday.

There will be EU meetings on this subject as from tomorrow but some of the EU member states are insisting the whole discussion should be tackled at EU-Libya relationship level, but the Italian government, as well as the Maltese one, are insisting this is an emergency and needs to be tackled as a priority.

Minister Pisanu says Italy is ready to lift EU sanctions on Libya unilaterally if the whole EU fails to do so this week.

Mr Pisanu said Italy could invoke rules allowing an EU member to take action in cases of need and urgency.

Rome wants the embargo lifted so Libya can patrol its shores more effectively and intercept hundreds of illegal migrants who head for Italy each month.

Italy has agreed to co-operate more closely with Libya on migration.

The EU imposed sanctions on Libya after it was linked to a string of terror attacks in the 1980s including the Lockerbie and UTA airliner bombs.

Under a new agreement with Libya, Italy will train Libya’s police and the two countries will eventually launch joint air, sea and land patrols to curb the influx of migrants.

They also plan to work on deporting illegal immigrants directly from Libya.

Mr Pisanu told journalists in Rome that Italy hoped to persuade its EU partners to lift the sanctions on Libya at talks in Brussels this week.

“Even if the current reservations are not overcome, we could get round this by using a law which allows this in cases of need and urgency,” he said.

“So either we will have a unanimous vote next week or, if we don’t get it, we shall go ahead all the same.”

Mr Pisanu said he would be returning to Libya on 26 September for more talks with the government.

Meanwhile the boat carrying a number of asylum seekers who on Friday refused to land in Malta and insisted on continuing on their way to Italy was still battling heavy seas yesterday between Malta and Sicily.