SCOTLAND has urged the UK "not abdicate responsibility" for refugees who drown trying to cross the Mediterranean.

SCOTLAND has urged the UK "not abdicate responsibility" for refugees who drown trying to cross the Mediterranean.

Scottish External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop called on the plight of migrants lost at sea to be treated as a humanitarian, not a immigration issue.

Some 2500 people fleeing Africa, Asia or the Middle East are thought to have perished while making the crossing to the EU's southern flank this year.

The Italian Navy has called off search and rescue efforts prompted by high-profile disasters and a more modest EU bid to patrol coastal waters is not expected to save many lives.

The UK in October decided not to make a major contribution to the operation, in what Amnesty International called a "dark day for Britain's moral standing".

Ms Hyslop was today scheduled to call for a rethink at a meeting with UK, Welsh and Northern Irish ministers. "Migration into the EU from third countries is an area which requires collective action across EU. "This is not a simple issue, but we cannot stand by and do nothing while people are drowning."

The modest coastal patrols have replaced Italian navy efforts that are thought to have saved tens of thousands of people.

Ms Hyslop said: "Although a limited joint EU border protection operation has been launched, providing patrols within 30 miles of the Italian coast, it does not have any search and rescue functions across the Mediterranean.

"What??s more the UK Government should urgently consider whether it can contribute more to this effort than the reported one person currently playing a part."

The Home Office has said it believes the now aborted Italian rescue efforts encouraged people trafficking and were counter-productive.

It said:"Ministers across Europe have expressed concerns that search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean encouraged people to make dangerous crossings in the expectation of rescue."