Refugees: Britain leads action to stem flow of Kurds to Europe

Alarmed by an "influx" of Kurdish refugees, EU governments look set to endorse a British-led crackdown on illegal immigrants to prevent any more Kurds leaving Turkey or Iraq, writes Katherine Butler.

Amid fears that the continent's passport-free travel zone could be overwhelmed by a flood of Kurds from Turkey and Iraq, European police chiefs gather in Rome today to map out a security strategy.

Italy, where almost 2,000 Kurds arrived last week, is expected to come under pressure particularly from the Germans, to supply detailed intelligence on mafia gangs suspected of trafficking in clandestine migrants, and to tighten legislation which allows potential refugees to remain in the country for two weeks.

Police heads from those countries most concerned - Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Greece and Turkey - will attend against the backdrop of warnings from Italian coastguards that another ship carrying Kurdish refugees is on the way.

Under a barrage of criticism from its European Union neighbours, particularly the Germans, who fear they will end up bearing the brunt of the latest influx, Italian leaders were forced yesterday to reassure Bonn that they would enforce border controls and deal with asylum applications individually, not collectively.

But while the short term focus is on Italian coastal controls, the political reaction in EU capitals yesterday was to lend backing to a British "action plan" which civil liberties groups and human-rights organisations are likely to view as a threat to international legal safeguards for those genuinely fleeing persecution.

Although Britain is not a signatory of the Schengen accord, which was designed to allow passport-free travel throughout Europe, British proposals received strong support when national migration and asylum experts from all 15 EU member states met in Brussels yesterday to consider new measures.

Possible lines of action which could be endorsed by Home Affairs ministers when they meet in Birmingham on 27 January, include a plan to issue airlines with clear warnings on their liability to weed out Turkish or Iraqi Kurds travelling to the EU.

Another is urgently to implement "Eurodac", a controversial system for compulsory fingerprinting of immigrants and asylum seekers. Visa procedures would also be coordinated and tightened while airline officials would be given training to help them spot forged documents.

Member state officials admitted last night that the plan could raise fears for the safety of those who genuinely need international protection, but stressed that the political problem facing Europe must be tackled urgently. Germany and Holland between them already house around 25,000 Kurdish refugees, experts were told yesterday, and tensions could follow the admission of another wave.

The refugee question is to be reviewed when the European Commission meets the British EU presidency in London today, but last night the Commission was anxious to play down the perceived crisis. It was important not to "exaggerate" the problem posed by the arrival of "a few hundred" Kurds, said a statement.

In Belgium, meanwhile, 11 Kurdish refugees called off a hunger strike after receiving assurances that they would not be expelled until a full investigation is carried out into their cases.