Austrian defense minister calls for closure of southwestern border crossing "as soon as possible"

Austrian defense minister Hans Peter Doskozil on Monday called for the speedy installment of border controls in Brenner at the border between North and South Tyrol in southwest Austria where it borders Italy.

In an interview with the Oe1 Mittagsjournal radio program, Doskozil said the border crossing at the junction separating the two parts of Tyrol should be "closed as soon as possible," and that he thought this would take place "in a few weeks."

While he acknowledged there needed to be a certain degree of consideration with regard to the economy and transit travel at the border, the primary goal was to implement controls, register refugees, and reject those who did not meet set criteria.

He added, however, that the checks on trucks in transit could perhaps be relaxed somewhat, unless they were of the typical variety used in people trafficking.

The minister also announced that new surveillance measures to combat people smuggling were to be implemented at Austria's shared border with Hungary and Slovakia. Endit