ITALY: ITALY, PORTUGAL AND SPAIN CRITICISE GERMANY'S CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSALS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ENTERING THE EU.

Record ID: 647533

  • Title: ITALY: ITALY, PORTUGAL AND SPAIN CRITICISE GERMANY'S CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSALS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ENTERING THE EU.
  • Date: 3rd October 2004
  • Summary: (W5) ROME, ITALY (OCTOBER 2, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/PAN: ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FRANCO FRATTINI ARRIVING 0.14 2. POLICEMEN (U6) ROME, ITALY (OCTOBER 2, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 3. ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FRANCO FRATTINI SAYING 4. VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FRANCO FRATTINI SAYING: "Italy's position is to continue the debate which has just begun and to concentrate on how to bring help to the countries of origin even more than to the countries of transit because if we create transit camps in transit countries and we don't tackle the problems of the countries of origin, we have resolved absolutely nothing." 6. NEWS CONFERENCE 7. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER MICHEL BARNIER SAYING: "We are not in favour of the transit camps because we have had already had this experience in our country, in Sangatte, in the north of France, and which brought us great problems. We closed this centre with much difficulty therefore we are not in favour of doing this in other countries. I think there are other ways to resolve this problems. This is France's stance." 8. NEWS CONFERENCE 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER ANTONIO MONTEIRO SAYING: "It is the human being who is at the centre of our preoccupation. We need to give the immigrants the opportunities we have at home." 10. NEWS CONFERENCE 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER MIGUEL ANGEL MORATINOS SAYING: "This problem greatly demonstrates the need to reinforce what we have been discussing here in Rome, that is, to reinforce the Barcelona process, to reinforce development and prosperity in Northern Africa, to reinforce and develop political, economic and social initiatives in order to avoid arriving at a partial resolution." 12. NEWS CONFERENCE 13. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BARNIER SAYING: "The progress we had registered up until September 28 has been interrupted. The parallel initiatives, which I will not comment on today, are being carried out by a group that has had contacts with Iraq for a long time. I hope that these parallel initiatives will not delay the release of Malbrunot and Chesnot and have not had negative consequences on their safety." 14. NEWS CONFERENCE (W5) ROME, ITALY (OCTOBER 2, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 15. CAMERAMEN OUTSIDE IN GARDEN 3.51 16. GV/CU: FAMILY PHOTO OF MINISTERS OUTSIDE IN GARDEN (4 SHOTS) 4.08 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 18th October 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ROME, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVA7UAG9BEV8JPLH0290ZRB076S0
  • Story Text: Italy, Portugal and Spain criticise Germany's
    controversial proposals for illegal immigrants entering the
    EU.



    Italy, Portugal and Spain said on Saturday (October
    2) Germany's controversial proposal to stop illegal
    immigrants from reaching the European Union (EU) by keeping
    them in holding centres in North Africa needed more study.

    France, also present at a four-way meeting of foreign
    ministers in Rome, repeated its highly sceptical view of Berlin's
    propo
    sal for centres to process the immigrants
    outside EU borders.

    But the other three countries appeared more open to the
    idea. "Italy's position is to continue the debate which has
    just begun," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told
    a news conference. "And to concentrate on how to bring help
    to the countries of origin even more than to the countries
    of transit because if we create transit camps in transit
    countries and we don't tackle the problems of the countries
    of origin, we have resolved absolutely nothing."
    Italy has much to gain if the flow of immigration can
    be managed and already has given the proposal by German
    Interior Minister Otto Schily a qualified backing.

    Hundreds of illegal immigrants seeking a better life
    reach southern Italian shores every week. Most of them try
    to reach northern Europe and are at the mercy of human
    traffickers.

    French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier was explicit in
    outlining his country's grim view of the centres, saying
    they raised many human rights questions.

    "We are not in favour of the transit camps because we
    have had already had this experience in our country, in
    Sangat, in the north of France, and which brought us great
    problems", said Barnier.

    "We closed this centre with much difficulty therefore
    we are not in favour of doing this in other countries. I
    think there are other ways to resolve this problems. This
    is France's stance", he said.

    France questions the financing of the plans, whether
    they would respect human rights and has raised the prospect
    of the centres attracting human traffickers, who make
    thousands of dollars smuggling people into Europe.

    The Spanish and Portuguese foreign ministers, Miguel
    Angel Moratinos and Antonio Monteiro, both said that the
    door could not yet be closed on the proposal and that more
    study of development issues was needed.

    "It is the human being who is at the centre of our
    preoccupation. We need to give the immigrants the
    opportunities we have at home", said Portuguese Foreign
    Minister Antonio Monteiro.

    "This problem greatly demonstrates the need to
    reinforce what we have been discussing here in Rome, that
    is, to reinforce the Barcelona process, to reinforce
    development and prosperity in Northern Africa, to reinforce
    and develop political, economic and social initiatives in
    order to avoid arriving at a partial resolution," said
    Spanish Foreign Minister Angel Moratinos.

    Schily set out proposals to the EU at a meeting on
    Friday in Scheveningen, the Netherlands. He said the
    25-nation bloc had to face the emergency of illegal
    immigrants risking their lives every day to get to Europe
    from North Africa in small, non-seaworthy boats.

    Human rights groups have also expressed concerns over
    whether the centres could adequately protect refugees.

    Sweden is opposed to the proposal and has urged the EU
    to look at ways to address the root causes of illegal
    immigration. In 2003, Britain was forced to drop similar
    proposals to set up asylum centres outside the EU after
    pressure from Sweden and France, which argued they were in
    breach of international law. The European Parliament also
    rejected the plans.

    Barnier also said France had had indirect contact with
    the Islamist group which seized two French journalists and
    their driver on August 20 but the contacts had stopped when
    the parallel mediation began.

    "The progress we had registered up until September 28
    has been interrupted. The parallel initiatives, which I
    will not comment on today, are being carried out by a group
    that has had contacts with Iraq for a long time. I hope
    that these parallel initiatives will not delay the release
    of Malbrunot and Chesnot and have not had negative
    consequences on their safety", said Barnier.

    The mission of French parliamentarian Didier Julia and
    Philippe Brett, a little-known figure with a history of
    political dealings in France and Iraq, has overshadowed
    France's more discreet diplomatic efforts.

    France, which opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, has
    been unable to secure the release of journalists Georges
    Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot, while Italy, which backed
    the war, managed quickly to obtain the release of two women
    aid workers.


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