Page 9 - ATD 27OCT,2015

WORLD NEWS 9
Tuesday 27 October 2015

Migrant Balkan surge continues amid EU attempt to slow it

A man holds a boy and laughs as he waits with hundreds oth- mitments,” said Slovenian how to handle the crisis. achieve some results in
er migrants for registration at the central registration center for Prime Minister Miro Cerar, Croatian police said that the coming weeks and
refugees and asylum-seekers in Berlin, Monday, Oct. 26, 2015. whose tiny Alpine nation as of early Monday, more months,” he said. “But, it is
Thousands of people who fled war and look for a better life are has been overwhelmed than 13,000 migrants had clear that this crisis cannot
trying to reach central and northern Europe via the Balkans, but since Hungary put up a arrived from Serbia over be solved in a few weeks
often have to wait for days in mud and rain at the Serbian, Croa- fence on the border with the previous 24 hours, while or months, but will improve
tian and Slovenian borders. Serbia and Croatia, divert- Slovenian police reported step by step.”
ing the flow to Slovenia. nearly 10,000 arrivals from Sunday’s meeting was
(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Slovenia has hinted that Croatia in the same pe- called in response to a
it will build a fence on the riod. Further west, in Austria, string of chaotic actions
border with Croatia if the some 3,500 people had to taken by countries along
migrant surge becomes sleep outside in the cold the route. With no real abil-
too difficult to handle. fall weather, while Germa- ity to control Greece’s po-
“OK, place a fence, but if ny said it had seen 15,000 rous island border or stop
you are not ready to shoot arrivals over the weekend. people leaving Turkey for
at the people, it will not Serbian Prime Minister Alek- sanctuary or jobs in Europe,
stop anyone,” Croatian In- sandar Vucic warned that the EU wants to restore
terior Minister Ranko Ostojic addressing the crisis will some order and apply the
said amid a spat between take time. brakes on those passing
the two neighbors over “We will all be able to through.q

DUSAN STOJANOVIC Habibi Loh.
Associated Press
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Humanitarian officials
With freezing weather set-
ting in, tens of thousands warned of plummeting
of migrants surging across
Europe could face even winter temperatures.
more hurdles after Europe-
an Union leaders pledged “In the short term, the situ-
to stem their flow by intro-
ducing tighter border con- ation is manageable,”
trols.
EU leaders committed at a said Antonija Zaniuk of the
weekend summit to help-
ing the Balkans handle the Slovenian Red Cross. “We
flow of people making their
way through the region en have a lot of winter cloth-
route to more prosperous
countries. But with record ing, blankets. We are dis-
numbers arriving from the
Middle East, Asia and Af- tributing cups of tea, food.
rica, the moves will likely
make their journeys more But, in the long term, who
difficult.
On Monday, thousands of knows.”
people, including many
women, children and el- In a statement seeking to
derly, waited in long lines
at the Croatian and Slo- paper over deep divisions
venia borders as the flow
of humanity continued un- about how to handle the
abated.
“It is not difficult for me, crisis, the EU and Balkan
but for people with families
and children, it is so hard,” leaders meeting in Brus-
said a 19-year-old Afghan,
sels committed to bolster

the borders of Greece as

it struggles to cope with

the wave of refugees who

cross over through Turkey.

They also pledged to boost

the capacities of recep-

tion centers in Greece and

along the Balkans route

to shelter 100,000 more

people as winter looms

and additional EU border

watchdog agency officials

are deployed to monitor

the flow.

“This is a step in the right

direction and now it is cru-

cial to respect the com-