Lampedusa disaster shows need to tackle problem of migration

The Lampedusa disaster, in which around 300 asylum seekers lost their lives on Thursday, underlines the need to increase cooperation between European Union nations on how to handle such situations, and also cooperation with the countries of origin of would-be migrants to discourage dangerous migration, a French official said Friday. Thursdays accident was the second this week at Lampedusa, a tiny Italian Mediterranean island between Italy and Tunisia and a finish-line destination for tens of thousands of Middle East, North African and African migrants seeking asylum in Europe. Italy has said it is overwhelmed by the flow of political and economic refugees and has asked Brussels for help. France agreed and urged EU action. "This catastrophe, by its size, confirms the need to have effective measures in place in the European Union to allow aid help to be given to member States who are the first concerned by the influx of migrants from third countries," French spokesman Philippe Lalliot said at the Foreign Ministry. But Lalliot also pointed out that the problem of mass migration also needed a remedy in the home countries of the migrants. "France is in favour of all measures aimed at reinforcing cooperation with the originating countries in order to prevent such disasters," the French official added. Asked by KUNA about initiatives to develop the indigenous economies of migrants to encourage them to stay home, he agreed this was an approach worthy of pursuit and it was being tried in some areas. "We need to treat the problem at the roots," Lalliot responded, adding "we need to give people work that will encourage them to stay home."