France and Spain moved today to sink a controversial Italian-German plan to create holding centres in North Africa for would-be refugees.
Hoping to counter illegal immigrants coming to Europe, Italy and Germany have called on the European Union to build overseas reception camps that would filter out genuine asylum seekers.
French Interior Minister Mr Dominique de Villepin
But France, traditionally a close ally of Germany, told a meeting of interior ministers from five major EU states that it could not accept the proposal. "We do not want to accept camps or centres of any kind," said French Interior Minister Mr Dominique de Villepin after a two-day meeting with his German, Italian, Spanish and British counterparts.
"It is not for Europe to take this issue forward," he told reporters. Spain also rejected the initiative. France and Spain argue that dealing with refugees should not be left to the EU alone and that groups such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and non-governmental organisations must take a leading role.
The proposed centres, set up outside the EU's borders and notably in North Africa, would repatriate those who do not meet immigration requirements.
"We cannot leave things as they are now," German Interior Minister Mr Otto Schily said. "We should offer these immigrants, before they embark on a very risky journey, advice on whether they qualify for protection."
But he acknowledged: "No consensus has been reached."