Page 9 - ATODAY
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Friday 4 March 2016
Migrants, EU referendum, top topics at France-UK summit
SYLVIE CORBET French President, Francois Hollande, right, and British Prime Minister David Cameron shake hands uel Macron told the Finan-
Associated Press after a press conference in Amiens, northern France, Thursday, March 3, 2016. Ahead of a refer- cial Times that the bilateral
PARIS (AP) — French poli- endum on Britain’s future in the EU and migrant tensions, Prime Minister David Cameron traveled agreement under which
ticians pulled no punches Thursday to Amiens, France, for a summit with French President Francois Hollande. France keeps migrants
Thursday, warning that on its side of the Channel
a U.K. vote to leave the (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) could come into question
28-nation European Union if the U.K. leaves the EU.
would give London new of the European Union France strengthen border ing to French authorities, Macron also pointedly
problems in the areas of allows us to amplify our security in the northern city hundreds of children are took aim at London’s key
migrants, banking and ter- strength, projecting great- of Calais, which has been among the thousands of banking industry, which re-
rorism. French President er power internationally, a flashpoint in Europe’s migrants stranded in a lies heavily upon Europe’s
Francois Hollande met increasing the security of migration crisis. Camer- slum camp in Calais. open economy.
Thursday with British Prime our citizens, and boosting on remained unclear on “If they have a family link “The day this relationship
Minister David Cameron in the competitiveness of our whether the U.K. will allow to the U.K., then they must unravels, migrants will no
the northern city of Amiens. economies”. more unaccompanied go there, and they must longer be in Calais and the
“I don’t want to scare any- The U.K. agreed to pro- child migrants to be grant- go quickly and in an effi- financial passport would
one but tell the truth: There vide 17 million pounds ($24 ed asylum, one of France’s cient way,” Hollande said. work less well,” he said.
will be consequences if the million) this year to help major demands. Accord- Economy Minister Emman- Britain’s auto industry —
U.K. leaves the EU,” Hol- including Rolls-Royce Mo-
lande said in a joint news tor Cars — chimed in as
conference with Cameron. well, saying Thursday that
A British departure would the EU’s open borders
notably affect “the way are good for business. But
we handle... immigration while many major British
issues ... and the economic corporations want to stay,
development between our about 200 small-business
two countries,” Hollande entrepreneurs signed a
said. Cameron, who is letter saying that leaving
leading the campaign for the EU would offer more
Britain to remain in the EU, “flexibility and adaptabil-
agreed. “When it comes to ity.”
terrorism, when it comes to Conservative lawmaker
security, when it comes to Bernard Jenkin, who wants
our borders, we are better Britain to quit the bloc, says
off, we are stronger inside Cameron is just trying to
a reformed EU,” Cameron get other European gov-
said. “We both firmly be- ernments to “scare peo-
lieve that our membership ple” out of voting to leave.
EU mulls ‘large-scale’ migrant deportation scheme
NICHOLAS PAPHITIS for Greek islands. And he wasn’t clear who Mouzals said. About a third of migrants
DEREK GATOPOULOS “We agree that the refu- would actually carry out He said the army had built trapped in Greece are at
Associated Press gee flows still remain far too the expulsions: Greece it- 10,000 additional places the village of Idomeni, on
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Tur- high,” Tusk said after meet- self, EU border agency at temporary shelters since the border with Macedo-
key is under growing pres- ing Turkish Prime Minister Frontex or even other orga- the border closures, with nia. Dwellers at a sprawling
sure to consider a major Ahmet Davutoglu. nizations like NATO. work underway on a further camp there hold out hope
escalation in migrant de- “To many in Europe, the Greek officials said Thurs- 15,000. for crossing in increasingly
portations from Greece, a most promising method day that nearly 32,000 mi- But a top U.N. official on mi- difficult conditions.
top European Union official seems to be a fast and grants were stranded in the gration warned that num- Greek police said 130 peo-
said Thursday, amid prepa- large-scale mechanism to country following a deci- ber of people stranded in ple were allowed to cross
rations for a highly antici- ship back irregular migrants sion by Austria and four ex- Greece could quickly dou- the border Thursday.
pated summit of EU and arriving in Greece. It would Yugolsav countries to dras- ble. Migrants said Macedonia
Turkish leaders next week. effectively break the busi- tically reduce the number Peter Sutherland said the didn’t accept computer-
European Council Presi- ness model of the smug- of transiting migrants. “inevitable consequence” generated stamps issued
dent Donald Tusk ended a glers.” “We consider the (Mace- of closed borders through- by the Greek police, and
six-nation tour of migration Tusk was careful to single donian) border to be out the Balkans “is that therefore they couldn’t
crisis countries in Turkey, out illegal economic mi- closed ... Letting 80 through Greece increasingly be- prove their identity docu-
where 850,000 migrants grants for possible depor- a day is not significant,” comes a camp for refu- ments were genuine.
and refugees left last year tation, not asylum-seekers. Migration Minister Ioannis gees and migrants.”
