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Austria puts pressure on EU ahead of meeting on refugee issue

Xinhua, March 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

Austria put forward on Tuesday demands ahead of a European Council meeting where a possible deal with Turkey on the refugee crisis is expected to be discussed.

In the firmly-worded letter sent to European Commission, Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said that an agreement with Turkey "must not bring new risks" to existing members of the European Union (EU), the Krone newspaper reported.

She voiced her concern that an even greater migration into Central Europe could take place should visa requirements for Turkish nationals entering the EU be dropped, saying that Turkey must be declared a "safe country of origin" before waiving the visa requirements.

The "safe country of origin" terminology refers to countries whose nationals are rarely granted asylum elsewhere due to the "safe" nature of their countries. With the present situation in Turkey, Mikl-Leitner said, this status is under dispute.

The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, is set to hold a meeting on Thursday and Friday to discuss issues including the refugee crisis. Endi