Forty-seven migrants saved in the Mediterranean 12 days ago will come ashore "within hours" and be transferred to seven European Union member states, Italy's populist premier Giuseppe Conte said on Wdenesday.
"The disembarkation will begin within hours. Luxembourg has joined the list of friendly countries. Including Italy there are seven of us," said Conte.
Conte's announcement came after a late night meeting in Rome with his deputy premiers Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini, who head the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement and the far-right League party.
Besides Italy and Luxembourg, countries that have agreed to take the migrants include Germany, France, Portugal, Romania and Malta.
The Sea-Watch 3, a Dutch-flagged ship operated by the German charity Sea-Watch, has been anchored for the past five days about 2 kilometers off the port of Syracuse, eastern Sicily, with the 47 migrants on board.
Conditions on the Sea-Watch Three are reported to be dire.
The migrants, who include 15 unaccompanied minors, were rescued from a sinking rubber boat off Libya on 19 January.
Everyone on board has been prevented from leaving the boat by Salvini, who is Italy's interior minister.
The crew is facing investigation for assisting illegal migration.
Since taking office in June last year, Salvini has refused to let rescue boats enter Italian ports, arguing they encourage human traffickers in the Mediterranean.
