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WORLD NEWS Thursday 1 November 2018

Austria says it won’t sign UN global migration pact

By GEIR MOULSON cial representative to Mar- stating that numerous pro-
Associated Press rakech. They cited, among visions were “inconsistent
BERLIN (AP) — The Aus- other things, fears about a with U.S. immigration and
trian government said possible watering-down of refugee policies” under
Wednesday that it won’t the distinction between le- President Donald Trump.
sign a global compact to gal and illegal migration. In July, Hungary said it
promote safe and orderly “There are some points would withdraw from the
migration, citing concerns that we view critically and process.
about national sovereign- where we fear a danger to Hungarian Foreign Minis-
ty as it joined neighboring our national sovereignty,” ter Peter Szijjarto said then
Hungary in shunning the Kurz said, the Austria Press that the pact was contrary
agreement. Agency reported. to his country’s interests be-
Conservative Chancellor “Migration is not and can- cause while it had some
Sebastian Kurz took office not become a human positive aims, like fighting
last December in a coali- right,” added Strache, the human trafficking, overall
tion with the nationalist, an- Freedom Party’s leader. “It it considered migration an
ti-migration Freedom Party. cannot be that someone unstoppable and positive
Austria currently holds the receives a right to migra- phenomenon worthy of Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Austrian Vice Chancellor
European Union’s rotating tion because of the climate support. Heinz-Christian Strache and Austrian President Alexander Van
Der Bellen, from left, review recruits on the occasion of national
presidency, and Kurz has or poverty.” The compact has 23 ob- holiday celebrations at Vienna’s Heldenplatz, Austria, Friday,
made curbing unregulated In September 2016, all 193 jectives that seek to boost Oct. 26, 2018.
migration a priority. U.N. member states, includ- cooperation to manage Associated Press
The Global Compact for ing the United States under migration and numerous this pact, if we were to join “We continue to believe
Safe, Orderly and Regular President Barack Obama, actions ranging from tech- it, would not at some point that migration is a glob-
Migration , which won’t be adopted a declaration say- nical issues like the portabil- or somehow influence our al challenge where only
legally binding, was final- ing no country can man- ity of earnings by migrant body of law, even by the global solutions and global
ized under U.N. auspices in age international migration workers to reducing the de- back door.” responsibility-sharing will
July. It is due to be formally on its own, and agreed to tention of migrants. Austria’s opposition criti- bring results,” she said at a
approved at a Dec. 11-12 launch a process leading Austria’s interior minister, cized the decision. regular briefing.
meeting in Marrakech, Mo- to the adoption of a global Herbert Kickl, denounced In Brussels, Natasha Ber- EU heavyweight Germany
rocco. compact in 2018. what he called “an almost taud, a spokeswoman for reaffirmed its support for
Kurz and Vice Chancel- But last December, the Unit- irresponsibly naive pro-mi- the EU’s executive Commis- the pact, which foreign
lor Heinz-Christian Strache ed States said it was ending gration tone.” sion, said it regrets Austria’s ministry spokesman Rainer
said Austria won’t sign the its participation in nego- Kickl contended that “it is decision and is seeking Breul said is “necessary and
document or send an offi- tiations on the compact, simply not clear whether more details from Vienna. important.”q

UK chief Brexit negotiator says he expects deal by Nov 21

By JILL LAWLESS suitable.” stalemate has heightened dermine Northern Ireland’s manent fix. But Raab said
Associated Press The committee released fears that the U.K. might hard-won peace process. agreement should be pos-
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s the Oct. 24 letter Wednes- leave without a deal in But the two parties have sible, and “the end is now
Brexit secretary has told day. Raab’s Department place, leading to chaos rejected each other’s pro- firmly in sight.”
lawmakers that he ex- for Exiting the European at ports and economic posed solution. An Oct 17-18 EU summit
pects a long-elusive di- Union said later “there is turmoil. Raab said in his letter that that had been billed as
vorce deal with the Euro- no set date for the nego- Prime Minister Theresa May “despite our differences, the deadline for a break-
pean Union to be finalized tiations to conclude” and has said a Brexit deal is 95 we are not far from an through ended with the
before Nov. 21, though that the secretary men- percent done, but the two agreement on this issue.” talks still deadlocked. But
there is still little sign of tioned Nov. 21 in response sides remain at odds over He said the U.K. and the EU behind-the-scenes talks
a breakthrough on the to a suggestion that he the issue of the border be- agree “on the principle of have continued.
vexed issue of the Irish bor- appear before the com- tween the U.K.’s Northern a U.K.-wide customs back- Irish Foreign Minister Simon
der. mittee on that date. Ireland and EU member stop” — a plan to keep Coveney said Wednesday
Dominic Raab told Parlia- Britain is due to leave the Ireland. the U.K. in a customs union in Paris that a deal in the
ment’s Exiting the EU Com- EU on March 29, but Lon- Britain and the EU agree with the bloc, rendering next month was feasible,
mittee in a letter that he don and Brussels have not there must be no customs border checks on goods but “if they want to con-
would give evidence to reached an agreement posts or other barriers that unnecessary. clude the text of a with-
the panel “when a deal is on their divorce terms could disrupt businesses Britain has said such a so- drawal treaty in Novem-
finalized, and currently ex- and a smooth transition and residents on either lution must be temporary, ber, then the negotiations
pect 21 November to be to a new relationship. The side of the border and un- while the EU wants a per- need to intensify.”q