The Latest: Hungary: Europe should shut borders to migrants

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Just sort of scroll through it to get the feel of the Yurpean leaders utter failure to see or adapt to what is happening in any way that is effective or adequate to the task. Always playing catchup, and usually not really paying attention.

BRUSSELS — The Latest on the migration crisis as leaders from the EU and Turkey meet in Brussels (all times local):

2:05 p.m.

Hungary’s prime minister says that Europe should shut its borders to migrants and not let anyone in without registration and permission.

Speaking Monday upon his arrival to an EU summit in Brussels, Viktor Orban said that any plan to resettle people from Turkey or Greece would only add “fuel to the fire” and cause even more people to come.

Orban said that Hungary wouldn’t participate in any resettlement plan and that “nothing should be done without the closing of the borders.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/the-latest-france-says-eu-must-rethink-open-borders-system/2016/03/07/08bbbb5c-e444-11e5-a9ce-681055c7a05f_story.html

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1. The Odd Couple: Merkel, Tsipras Fate Tied Over EU Refugees Deal

When Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras traveled to Tehran last month, he carried a joint message worked out with an unlikely ally: German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In meetings with Iranian leaders, Tsipras pressed for measures to encourage a million or more Afghan refugees currently in Iran to stay there, according to two officials familiar with the diplomacy. Both he and Merkel regard steps to control the influx of Afghans, the second-biggest group entering Europe after Syrians, as a key element of plans to tackle the refugee crisis that’s dividing Europe, the people said, asking not to be named because the discussions were private. Neither knows if the joint plea to Iran will yield results, they added.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-06/the-odd-couple-merkel-tsipras-fate-tied-over-eu-refugees-deal

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2. Refugee Crisis: EU Leaders Meet on Migrants as Thousands Wait in Greece

European leaders were gathering early Monday to discuss the still-spiraling migrant crisis as thousands camped out in Greece desperate to cross a blocked border.

The summit in Brussels was convened to press Turkey to address flows of refugees from war-torn countries such as Syria and ramping up assistance to Greece, which has been inundated with migrants.

Closing the so-called Balkans route is also on the agenda, a move which has provoked condemnation from aid and human-rights organizations.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/europes-border-crisis/refugee-crisis-eu-leaders-meet-migrants-thousands-wait-greece-n533131

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3. Merkel resists Balkan route 'closure' in EU summit draft text

Angela Merkel said on arrival at an emergency migration summit between EU and Turkish leaders on Monday that she did not support a part of the summit's draft resolution declaring that the Balkan route through Europe "is now closed."

Merkel said the EU's response to the issue "cannot be about closing things." Instead, she called for a "sustainable solution together with Turkey," to ensure that migration flows reduced for "all countries, including Greece."

A draft statement from the European Council which went public on Saturday had said Brussels planned to close the route in an effort to prevent more migrants from moving north into Europe on land. However, German newspaper "Bild" reported that Merkel rejected the plan upon her arrival in Brussels, with support from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

"It cannot be about closing things," the newspaper quoted her as saying.

http://www.dw.com/en/merkel-resists-balkan-route-closure-in-eu-summit-draft-text/a-19098870

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4. Turkey raises the stakes on refugee deal

Last-minute moves by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised doubts Monday morning about how easily EU leaders would be able to reach a deal with Ankara on controlling the flow of refugees into Europe.

Davutoğlu arrived at the Brussels meeting ready to push for more concessions in exchange for the agreement, including asking for more money to cope with refugee needs and for guarantees that talks on Turkey’s EU membership would move forward.

Merkel, for her part, said she would oppose any agreement to permanently close borders and took issue with the wording of a draft summit deal that had been put together by diplomats, including her own, over the weekend.

“For all countries, including Greece, closing anything is not an option,” she told reporters as she arrived at the summit.

http://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-raises-the-stakes-on-summit-deal-ahmet-davutoglu-migration-summit-refugee-crisis-brussels/

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5. Turkey's end of the refugee bargain

If anyone expects the refugee exodus from the Turkish shores into Europe to end this summer, they should think again. While the refugee crisis in Europe has had a surprisingly re-invigorating effect on the Turkish-European ties, and produced a well-defined Joint Action Plan in November 2015, the inflow of those fleeing warzones and poverty in the Muslim world will likely continue – drop but continue-well into 2016.

And that is not due to unwillingness on the part of Turkey or the European Union to stem the flow of migrants into Europe. Despite an increasingly shrill rhetoric on Western attitudes towards refugees, Turkish leaders indicate that they intend to live up to their end of the bargain. For President Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) the refugee issue meant a serendipitous return into the European community – not only offering financial incentives to relieve Turkey’s heavy burden but also promising to “re-energize” the accession process. Coming after a period of relative international loneliness and a sense of desperation regarding the course of events in Syria, this is very welcome. While much criticised by Turkey’s pro-European intelligentsia for its disregard for Turkey’s deteriorating human rights record, the deal offers Erdoğan an irresistible spot - and a new legitimacy - at the European table.

But there are other reasons - technical and political - to be less hopeful about halting the refugee inflow. For starters, the overall premise of the Joint Action Plan between Turkey and the European Union is not to put a complete stop, with the understanding that it is not attainable, but to maximise the number of refugees staying in Turkey, support them, and create an “orderly” - yet diminished - flow of refugees into Europe. In addition to the €3 billion in aid to be delivered to Turkey, the ultimate deal will also involve a controlled resettlement of refugees into Europe in more modest numbers than the current flow.

http://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_turkeys_end_of_the_refugee_bargain

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6. Britain will not join common EU asylum system - Cameron

Britain would not join a possible EU common asylum system, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday, adding that his country would be affected by the migrant crisis even if it votes to leave the European Union in June.

"We have an absolutely rock-solid opt-out from these things. There's no prospect of Britain joining a common asylum process in Europe. We'll have our own asylum approach, our own way of doing things, keeping our borders," Cameron said on arriving for an EU-Turkey summit aimed at stemming the flow of migrants into Europe.

"Even outside the EU, we would be affected by a migration crisis like this. But at the end of the day we maintain our borders and our own way of doing things because we have the best of both worlds," he continued.

Under the EU's current asylum system, known as the Dublin rules and which apply to Britain, individual EU countries must register and process asylum claims on a national basis and that responsibility falls to the first EU state a refugee enters.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-europe-migrants-cameron-idUKKCN0W9180?rpc=401

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7. . nt

[Relentless Liberal]

8. Viktor Orban

Vicious Ogre.

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9. Yes, I've hear bad things about him. Too bad he's in the EU. nt