EU discusses immigration sanctions

European Union foreign ministers failed to agree yesterday on whether to threaten sanctions against countries that refuse to cooperate with the wealthy bloc's fight against illegal migration.

The issue will go to EU leaders at a summit in Seville on Friday and Saturday, at which cracking down on illegal migrants and people traffickers will have top billing following big electoral gains for right-wing populists campaigning on the issue.

Diplomats said 12 of the 15 member states backed a proposal by the Spanish EU presidency that non-compliance could entail the suspension of cooperation agreements or a review of aid allocations.

But France, Sweden and Luxembourg objected to any threat to punish developing countries for failing to crack down on migrant trafficking networks and take back rejected immigrants, arguing that would be impractical and self-defeating.

"The EU does not go this far when it comes to violations of human rights and the war on terrorism, so it is sending the wrong signals going so much further on illegal immigration," Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh told reporters.

However, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, speaking for the hardline camp, said: "We must send a powerful signal to some third countries that if they want to develop a strong relationship with the EU, they must cooperate in fighting illegal migration and in taking back their own nationals.

"This should be part of the EU's political and economic dialogue with these countries," he said.

The EU would need unanimous agreement to threaten sanctions. Interior ministers agreed last week on a package of measures to boost Europe's border controls, close loopholes and cooperate on repatriating rejected asylum seekers.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who will chair the Seville summit, has led the charge for sanctions, arguing that only a credible threat will prompt Europe's neighbours to agree to take back rejected asylum seekers and third country nationals who use their territory as a transit route.

The dissenters want the EU to focus on giving incentives in extra aid and technical support to third world countries that help stem the flow of asylum seekers and economic migrants.

Shocked by a surge in support for anti-immigration populist parties across Western Europe, EU leaders are rushing to find ways to get tough on the influx of an estimated 500,000 illegal migrants a year into the 370-million-strong bloc.

But the man in charge of the EU's common foreign policy, Javier Solana, was keen to soften the image of "Fortress Europe" which the bloc risks projecting to neighbours in the Middle East, North Africa and eastern Europe.

"The European Union is not going to threaten anybody. It is going to try to construct partnerships with countries," Solana told reporters. He declined to say what should happen if partners did not cooperate.

Diplomats say sanctions could actually aggravate migratory flows by hampering economic development. Key migration sources and transit routes include Western allies such as Turkey, Egypt and Morocco which the EU would not want to sanction, they say.

Straw rejected charges by Amnesty International and other human rights groups that the EU was pandering to the far right.

"If citizens don't have confidence in their democratic politicians to tackle this problem, sadly, extremist solutions will become more attractive," he said.