DOBOVA, Slovenia (AP) — The latest news as migrants make their way across Europe by the tens of thousands, fleeing war or seeking a better life. A massive influx of migrants has increased tensions in the Balkans, which saw years of war in 1990s. The German government is considering using military aircraft to deport rejected asylum applicants. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Wednesday that using civilian planes for deportations is the priority but if there isn't enough capacity authorities are mulling possibly using military planes. Hours later, the EU presidency further called for justice and interior ministers from all 28 member states to meet on Nov. 9 to better plan and execute Europe's response to the crisis. Greek emergency workers have joined a search for 15 people reported missing after a small boat carrying refugees sank in Turkish waters on its way to a Greek island. The Greek coast guard said two vessels and a helicopter on Wednesday were combing the sea northeast of the island of Samos for the missing migrants. Cyprus' interior ministry says a total of 114 people, including 28 children and 19 women, were aboard two fishing boats that landed at a British air base on the island's southern coast. British Bases authorities said Wednesday that a 2003 agreement holds the Cyprus government responsible for such arrivals on two military bases the island hosts. In recent months, hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty have been streaming through the western Balkans, which saw a series of wars in the 1990s. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday that "we have to make sure, first of all, that the movement of refugees doesn't carry new conflicts into a region where we have worked so hard in recent years to the calm the conflict situation after the dissolution of Yugoslavia." U.N. refugee agency officer Francesca Bonelli says around 3,000 migrants were there overnight, including little children, the elderly, people in wheelchairs and many sick and exhausted. Slovenian riot police deployed by the camp in full gear to manage the situation. Austrian police say main border crossings used by migrants to come into the country are quiet after a sudden influx of about 4,500 people on Tuesday. Slovenian lawmakers have approved a law formally granting more powers to the army in managing the migrant influx along the border of the small Alpine nation. Parliament voted 66-5 early on Wednesday to allow the troops to warn, direct and temporarily restrict the movement of persons or engage in crowd control, as police normally do. Slovenian army troops already have been deployed at the border providing logistical support to the police.
 |
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.sfgate.com |
