Austrian Leader Calls for Emergency EU Summit on Migrant Crisis
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann called Sunday for an emergency EU summit to resolve the migrant crisis, saying his country's admittance of thousands of refugees crossing from Hungary was just a "temporary" measure.
Migrants have been streaming into Austria from Hungary since Friday, after Hungary laid on buses and trains to take them to the border following days of confrontations with migrants who were barred by police from continuing their journey westwards.
On arrival in Austria many of the migrants boarded trains and buses to Germany -- the final destination of most of the people seeking refuge from conflicts in Syria, Iraq and other countries.
Austria has provided special trains to take them across the border.
"A measure of this type cannot be a solution," Faymann was quoted by APA news agency as saying, emphasising that the assistance was a temporary manifestation of Vienna's "goodwill" in the face of a humanitarian emergency.
"There is no alternative to a common European solution," Faymann, a Social Democrat said, calling for a summit of EU leaders "immediately after" an interior ministers' meeting on September 14.
Austria is among the countries calling for binding quotas on the number of refugees to be taken by each EU member state.
Vienna also wants EU members to adopt common rules on the granting of asylum.
Source: Agence France Presse
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