Rome, 21 March (AKI) - Italy reached out to other countries in Europe to house some of the immigrants who have been reaching its shores since more than two months of anti-government protests in Northern Africa prompted thousands of people to travel trip by boat to Southern Europe.

"We ask all the countries of the European Union to take their fair share of the burden," said Italian interior minister Roberto Maroni on Monday during a Rome press conference.

Maroni said thousands of people have reached southern Italy since Tunisia's authoritarian government was toppled by a month of street protests. Two boats carrying around 117 men who said they were Libyans were intercepted in eastern Sicily early Monday. If their nationalities are confirmed, it may signal the first significant number of Libyans to reach Italy since demonstrations in their country turned to civil war.

Maroni, a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, said that 15,000 primarily Tunisians have arrived on the southern island of Lampedusa since the beginning of the year. That compares with 25 Tunisians during all last year, he said.

"That shows that if the controls don't work, you see what happens," he said. "It is not fair that only these countries have to deal with it when we're talking about tens of thousands of people."

Prime minister Silvio's Berlusconi's government will present a resolution to parliament authorizing it negotiate with other members of the European Union over the immigration issue, Maroni said. Earlier this year, Italy appealed to the EU for 100 million euros in funds to held manage what it called an "immigrant wave of biblical proportions."

In the meanwhile, Lampedusa, located 113 kilometres from Tunisia and 205 kilometres south of Sicily, is struggling to host around 5,000 Tunisian migrants, about the population of the island's residents.

Maroni said his government compensate Lampedusa residents for the damage to their economy. The island survives mostly on fishing and tourism.

Angry residents on Sunday temporarily prevented the unloading of a boat that carried supplies for a migrant tent city.