Tjekkiet siger blankt nej til at tage imod nogen af de 450 asylsøgere, som de italienske myndigheder har samlet op i Middelhavet. Den illegale indvandring fører Europa lukt ned i helvede, siger statsminister Andrej Babiš.

Italiens beslutning om at tage imod flere migranter er i strid med den enighed, man kom frem til på det sidste EU-topmøde, siger Babiš til Radio Praha. Han siger at Europa må sende et klart signal om at dørene nu er lukket for asylsøgere.

Statsminister Babiš siger, at tage imod flere asylsøgere er vejen til helvede:

Prime Minister Babiš, who at the most recent EU summit on migration, refused to accept co-responsibility for the migrants already in Europe, said that taking in more asylum-seekers was a “road to hell”, a policy that would only motivate smugglers and increase their profits. He said Europe needed to send a clear signal that its doors were closed and defended the Czech Republic’s decision not to admit any more migrants.

Babiš påpeger, at EU-landene blev enige om at opgive kvoteordningen, og at fordelingen af migranter skulle være frivillig:

– We pushed hard at the last European Council meeting for quotas to be abandoned and for migrant redistribution to be voluntary. This was agreed on and we will abide by it. Taking in more migrants is going the wrong way.

Fungerende udenrigsminister Jan Hamáček støtter statsministeren og siger, at Tjekkiet gerne vil hjælpe Italien, men nægter at støtte en linje som kun gør Europas migrantproblem værre.

– We will offer Italy other forms of aid – we are ready to help materially, financially, and even send our police officers to Italy, but as regards Prime Minister Conte’s request to take in asylum seekers – that will be rejected.

Tjekkiske politikere er uenige om det meste, men indvandring er en tydelig undtagelse, skriver Radio Praha. Regeringens standpunkt støttes af hele det politiske spekter:

Opposition parties unanimously backed the government’s decision at the weekend, saying the only possible solution to the problem was to tighten EU border protection and solve the migrant crisis in the countries of origin. Christian Democratic Party leader Pavel Bělobrádek summed up the common viewpoint saying “we must help Italy, but not by pouring water into a leaky barrel”.

CZECH PM SAYS ACCEPTING MORE MIGRANTS IS “ROAD TO HELL” FOR EUROPE