Spain denies not acting on NATO refugee emergency call

Spain has refuted findings in a Council of Europe (CE) report that one of its frigates, Méndez Núñez, ignored an emergency NATO call last year to rescue a boat full of refugees fleeing war-torn Libya. Only nine of the 72 people onboard survived the tragedy.

Spanish officials said that they didn't receive the alert until 18 hours after a priest in Rome contacted the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC), after he had received a distress call from the refugees via satellite phone. In March, the CE's Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons said that Spain had "failed to act in accordance with search-and-rescue obligations" by not going to pick up the refugees.

A resolution was approved by the CE's Parliamentary Assembly on April 24.

Despite the CE findings, Defense Minister Pedro Morenés on March 6 sent a reply to the committee explaining that the Méndez Núñez was never within 11 miles of the refugee boat, nor had it received a distress warning from the MRCC. EL PAÍS has gained access to the internal investigation conducted by the joint chiefs of staff, which sharply contrasts with the CE findings.

Only minutes away by helicopter, the frigate's radar didn't pick up the small homemade craft

Méndez Núñez left Rota on March 22, 2011 to take part in the NATO operation against the Gaddafi regime. Three days later, it transferred its command to the Italian navy in Naples and began patrolling the waters - a rectangular area some 20 miles by 30 miles in size, 60 miles north of Tripoli.

While the Spanish ship could have been in the area and only minutes by helicopter from the refugees, the frigate's radar didn't pick up the small homemade craft. But that day it picked up another boat with refugees, and on March 27, 2011 it rescued a small craft before turning its passengers over to Italian authorities.

That same day at 7.54pm, three hours after Father Zerai issued his warning, the MRCC put out its first alert. It did so using communication equipment not compatible with that on board Méndez Núñez, and that is not normally used for official traffic on war ships, military sources say.

At midday on March 28 - 18 hours after Father Zerai's call - NATO asked its patrols to investigate. Captain Victoriano Gilabert, the Méndez Núñez's commander, dispatched a helicopter but nothing came up in the search.