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WORLD NEWSMonday 19 October 2015
Thousands stranded on new migrant route through Europe
R. RADOVANOVIC Serbia on Sunday— and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands Germany’s Chancellor Angela
Associated Press thousands kept on arriving. Merkel, left, following a joint statement after their meeting in Istanbul, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015.
OPATOVAC, Croatia (AP) On the Serbian-Croatian Merkel met with Turkish leaders to promote a EU plan that would offer aid and concessions to Tur-
— Tension was building border, tensions flared and key in exchange for measures to stem the mass movement of migrants across Europe’s borders.
among thousands of mi- scuffles erupted as hun-
grants as they remained dreds of irritated migrants (Tolga Bozoglu, Pool Photo via AP)
stranded in fog and cold faced a cordon of Croa-
weather in the Balkans on tian policemen preventing
Sunday in their quest to them from entry.
reach a better life in West- The Balkan migrant route
ern Europe, a day after switched to Slovenia early
Hungary closed its border Saturday after Hungary’s
with Croatia and the flow right-wing government
of people was redirected closed its border to Croatia
to a much slower route via for the influx, citing secu-
Slovenia. rity concerns and saying it
Tiny Slovenia has said it will wants to protect the Euro-
only take in 2,500 people pean Union from an uncon-
a day, significantly stalling trolled flow of people.
the movement of people Slovenian officials said
as they fled their countries they can’t accept 5,000
in the Middle East, Asia and migrants per day as asked
Africa. On Saturday, more by Croatia, which is likely to
than 6,000 people reached cause a further backlog in
Croatia, but most of them the flow. Interior Ministry of-
were stuck in the country ficial Bostjan Sefic said Slo-
as well as in neighboring venia can’t take more than
neighboring Austria, which “We are waiting here 4 becomes slow or we have
said it can accept 1,500 hours on the bus,” said Mu- a backlog of people.”
per day. hammad Samin from Af- The Hungarian border
“If we would accept 5,000 ghanistan. “The weather is closure is the latest dem-
migrants per day that too cold. We wear lots of onstration of EU’s uncoor-
would mean 35,000 would shirts. The children are also dinated response to the
be in Slovenia in 10 days,” in the cold. No food.” surge of people reach-
Sefic said, taking into ac- The United Nations refugee ing its borders. More than
count those who leave for agency warned that Hun- 600,000 people, mostly Syr-
Austria. “That would be un- gary’s decision to close its ians, have reached Europe
acceptable.” border for migrants has in- since the beginning of this
Slovenia said Sunday it creased their suffering and year.
won’t allow entry to about could lead to a backlog Hungary decided to close
1,800 migrants on a train down the so-called Balkan the border with Croatia
from Croatia after more route that goes from Turkey after EU leaders last week
than 2,000 people have al- through Greece, Macedo- failed to agree on a plan
ready entered in one day. nia, Serbia and Croatia. backed by Hungary to
Some 5,000 other migrants Babar Baloch, regional send EU forces to block
will have to spend a cold spokesman for Central Eu- migrants from reaching
night in a camp in Opato- rope for the U.N. High Com- Greece from Turkey. It did
vac, eastern Croatia, be- missioner for Refugees, the same on Sept. 15 on
fore they can head toward said the new migrant route the border with Serbia after
Slovenia, the next step on through Slovenia has signifi- erecting a razor wire fence
their journey toward richer cantly prolonged their al- on both frontiers.
EU states, such as Germany ready weeks-long journey. German Chancellor An-
or Sweden. “The decision by Hungary gela Merkel was meeting
Across the border in Serbia, to close its border has cer- Turkish leaders on Sunday
thousands of people have tainly added to the suf- to promote an EU plan
been sitting in some 50 bus- fering and misery and the that would offer aid and
es since early hours Sunday length of the journey for concessions to Turkey in
waiting to cross to Croatia. these desperate people,” exchange for measures to
More are expected to ar- Baloch said. “There will be stem the mass movement
rive during the day. challenges if the process of migrants into Europe.q
