Mediterranean EU focuses on migration

VENICE, Italy, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- An Italian official said more resources are necessary to manage the wave of African migrants headed for the EU via Mediterranean countries.

''It is to be hoped the Mediterranean will receive enough resources and attention to help it deal with the great challenges posed by immigration to this area," Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said at a daylong summit in Venice. "In order to better manage legal immigration, the procedures for fighting illegal immigration and human trafficking must first be strengthened."

The Italian news agency ANSA reported Tuesday the summit of western Mediterranean interior ministers was attended by the EU's Mediterranean countries, and by five North African states: Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania.

The interior ministers also discussed terrorism, agreeing that the Internet was an indispensable tool in fighting terrorism, Maroni said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi have collaborated on an EU-oriented approach to migration issues. Sarkozy said he will continue to fight illegal immigration, emphasizing that for migrants arriving in France without documents, there would be no amnesty.