Giving 200,000 migrants
humanitarian visas to travel in Europe, as claimed by the Sunday
Times, is not on the government's agenda, Foreign Minister
Angelino Alfano said Monday.
"We have an overall strategy," the minister said.
"This is not an issue on our agenda. Besides, the numbers
were made (up) by the newspapers and no one in the Italian
government ever issued them".
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said the idea of
Italy issuing humanitarian visas for migrants "would be absurd
because if people could pass, ever more people would arrive and
that would not ease the burden for Italy and Greece".
Kurz stressed that "no statement in this direction was made"
at today's EU foreign ministers' meeting.
If the idea were implemented, he said "we would protect the
Brenner frontier. We certainly wouldn't let people go north
freely".
Alfano went on:
"We certainly have a strategy, which aims to be effective and
needs European cooperation".
As for renewing the mandate of the migrant-rescuing Operation
Sophia, on whcih Italy has voiced reservations, Alfano said: "We
will face the questions of the renewal and all those that
concern its connection with the Triton rules".
This discussion, he said, will not take place in today's EU
foreign ministers' meeting "but in the proper fora, within the
deadline of July 27".
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