Hungary is new hot spot on migrant route into EU - Part 2

bb1 wrote:I do too, Lily, especially as he will no doubt start screeching about his Yuman Rites and be out in three.

Németh: ending wars in Syria and Iraq crucial for global security
By Hungary Matters October 28th, 2015

Ending the civil wars in Syria and Iraq is crucial not just in terms of solving the migrant crisis, but also for global security, Zsolt Németh, head of Hungary's parliament foreign affairs committee said. The use of military force in resolving the conflicts in Iraq and Syria is unavoidable, Németh told a press conference after a meeting of the foreign affairs committee, adding that combatting the Islamic State militant group, which he called the “epicentre” of the conflict, is crucial for ending it. The committee was briefed on the current situation in Iraq and Syria.

Németh said it was important to note that aside from the US-led global coalition to counter IS, Russia is also involved in the fight against the militant group. He said it was essential that the coalition and Russia find common ground, as otherwise Russia’s involvement “will only complicate the situation”. Németh stressed that the long-term solution in Iraq and Syria has to be a political one. On the topic of the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Németh said it would have to be decided by the Syrian people. Németh also said Syria and Iraq were mired in a humanitarian crisis, adding that some 10 million people have been forced to leave their homes.

Austria to build Slovenia border fence

Published: 28 Oct 2015 08:59 The Local Austria

Austria will build a fence along its border with fellow EU member Slovenia to slow down the migrant flow, Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said on Wednesday.

Both countries are part of the passport-free Schengen zone and have been key transit countries for tens of thousands of refugees and migrants desperately seeking to reach northern Europe via the Balkans.

"This is about ensuring an orderly, controlled entry into our country, not about shutting down the border," she told public broadcaster Ö1.

Mikl-Leitner, a member of the conservative ÖVP party, added that the situation risked escalating as people were forced to wait in freezing temperatures for hours before being allowed to cross from one nation into another.

"We know that in recent days and weeks individual groups of migrants have become more impatient, aggressive and emotional. If groups of people push from behind, with children and women stuck in-between, you need stable, massive measures," she said.

On Tuesday, Bavaria's state premier blasted Austria for waving through thousands of refugees to Germany without informing local authorities.

Previously, Austrian ministers had avoided using the word 'fence' - talking instead about the need for "special structural measures" on the border. Last week, Mikl-Leitner drew strong criticism from opposition members for saying that it was time for the EU to "build fortress Europe".

But Defence Minister Gerald Klug, of the Social Democrats, told Ö1 radio that he supports the idea of a fence, which is necessary "in order to properly control the refugees" but that "we must not lose sight of humanity". He added that Hungary's razor-sharp barbed wire fences were not the solution.

The Secretary-General of Amnesty Austria, Heinz Patzelt, told Ö1 that fences are "a symbol of a lack of solidarity" - and that barriers would not deter refugees from trying to enter Austria.

Mikl-Leitner said in a statement sent to the media that the fence would be "solid and stretch several kilometres left and right of the border crossing", but did not give a date for when construction would begin.

She also said that 200 police officers would be trained to become special border police, and that Austria needs an additional 2,000 officers as the force is stretched to its limits.  

Austrian minister calls for 'fortress Europe'

Published: 23 Oct 2015 09:37
Austria’s Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner has called for “a fortress Europe” to protect the EU’s external borders as thousands of refugees continue to enter Austria from Slovenia.

She made the comments after a visit to Spielfeld in Styria, where the situation has become chaotic after the arrival of thousands of refugees and migrants. On Thursday police were forced to remove barricades at a refugee camp in Spielfeld in an effort to relieve pressure, allowing hundreds of people to spill into the surrounding area.

Slovenia says over 12,600 migrants and refugees have entered its territory over the past 24 hours. They want to travel onwards to Austria and Germany.

Locals in Spielfeld, a community of just 1,000 people, have complained that they will not be able to cope with the expected 60,000 refugees who will arrive over the course of the next few days.

On Thursday evening, around 2,000 refugees were waiting in a transit area at the border crossing. Police chief Josef Klamminger said that shuttle buses will be in continual use, to take the refugees to a registration centre and provide them with emergency supplies and first aid.

He told ORF television that the situation in Spielfeld is more extreme than on the Hungarian border crossing a few weeks ago, as “Germany’s restrictions are now affecting Austria and the entire Balkan route, and we are left in a kind of sandwich position.”

Around 900 police officers and soldiers are on duty to try and keep the situation under control.

bb1 wrote:Unfortunately, it was the 'US-led coalition' that has caused the whole damned mess. With a great deal of help from the Saudis.