EU states clash over how to tackle illegal migration

TAMPERE, Finland, Sep 21 (Reuters) European Union ministers clashed today over how to stem the swelling tide of African illegal migrants reaching the bloc's southern shores on rickety boats.

More than 24,000 Africans have come ashore in Spain's Canary Islands this year, about five times the number in the whole of 2005. Hundreds and possible thousands more have died on the way, officials say. Others head to Europe through Malta and Italy.

Brussels has repeatedly urged states to work together on the issue, but when interior and justice ministers from the 25 EU states met to discuss the issue in Tampere, Finland, they argued over who was to blame and who should foot the bill.

''It's no solution to legalise illegal people as was done by Spain ... because it gives some kind of pull factor to people in Africa, as we unfortunately saw in the last months. It gives the wrong signal,'' Austria's Justice Minister Karin Gastinger told reporters.

Spain granted amnesty to some 600,000 illegal migrants last year, a move it contends helped regulate immigration. But Spain was lambasted by many as encouraging illegal migrants to try and reach the EU.

Spain's justice minister rejected this accusation.

''Spain asserts that it is completely wrong to say ... that this process of regularisation increases in any way the irregular migratory pressure,'' Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar told reporters as he arrived at the meeting.

''Everybody can see that these unprecedented flows (of illegal migrants) to the prosperity fortress that is the European Union have nothing to do with the internal legislation of member states and are the consequence of ... hunger, pandemics, poverty, despair and life expectancy of only 30.'' MONEY Lopez Aguilar urged the EU to provide more help. Asked what he wanted, he said: ''Money, resources, means, determination, and the consciousness that this is ... a reality which is going to accompany us along the first third of the 21st century.'' Spain's call for EU money was criticised.

''Who wants to solve problems must stop asking for the money of others,'' Germany's Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told reporters, adding that Germany was already giving more help to Mediterranean countries than it had ever received in the past to tackle migration from the EU's eastern borders.

Spain, Malta and Italy have all asked the EU for help, stressing that in a border-free union many migrants will cross the countries of entry to reach other EU states.

But their partners have so far contributed only two boats, one aircraft and a handful of experts to much-trumpeted joint sea patrols to stop Africans reaching the Canaries.

A second aircraft has yet to arrive. Another mission, of a similar size, is under preparation to patrol Maltese and Italian borders.

EU President Finland urged interior ministers to share the costs of housing and, possibly, returning illegal migrants reaching any EU border.

Reuters SP GC1646