Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/570997
ByLorneCookandRaf Casert The Associated Press BRUSSELS Migrants at Hungary's crowded border crossings with Austria and Serbia faced fear and uncer- tainty Monday, as several European Union countries beefed up border controls in a precedent that could gut the bloc's cherished principle of free movement among most of its nations. While Hungarian police patrolled their border fence on horseback and workers uncoiled the razor-wire and steel mesh that would finish it, Austria, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Slo- vakia all rushed to join Ger- many in tightening border controls. The efforts created sig- nificant pressure points as the flow of people fleeing violence at home and trek- king through the Balkans showed no sign of abating. "Hurry up! They're let- ting us through!" some shouted in Arabic at a checkpoint near Roszke, Hungary, as police blocked a rail line where thousands had entered the country, funneling the migrants to waiting buses. Elsewhere, bottlenecks developed at the Austrian border town of Nickelsdorf, where a police spokesman said a main highway had to be closed because up to 10,000 migrants were cross- ing in from Hungary. Ger- many's border checks also caused traffic jams Monday as long as 12 miles on high- ways in Austria. Facedwithafull-onemer- gency, EU interior ministers sought a common stance on how to equitably relocate 160,000 refugees across much of the continent. Their effort was a test case to see whether there was enough unity between the bloc's western and eastern mem- bers to contain the crisis. German Interior Min- ister Thomas De Maiziere said that "an agreement in principle" had been reached late Monday, but it still left the divvying up of quota among member nations for an Oct. 8 meeting in Lux- embourg. "If we don't find a solu- tion, then this chaos will be the result," said Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn of Luxembourg, which holds the EU presidency. "That will become a domino ef- fect and then we can for- get Schengen" — the open- border policy generally con- sidered one of the greatest achievements of the EU. After a deal was sealed to relocate 32,000 asy- lum seekers from Italy and Greece, EU ministers were working Monday on draft plans obtained by The Asso- ciated Press to spread some 120,000 more around Eu- rope with "due regard" for flexibility among nations, a move that would gut an initial proposal to make the migrant quotas mandatory. The EU ministers were also making it easier to de- cide on asylum claims and to detain rejected asylum seekers who refuse to leave the EU voluntarily. German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel defended the new checks on the Ger- man border, saying they were aimed at producing a more orderly flow of peo- ple. He also predicted that Germany alone would see at least 1 million asylum seek- ers this year, 200,000 more than a previous assessment, and demanded that other EU nations do more to help. He called the checks a "clear signal" to our "Eu- ropean partners that Ger- many, even if we are pre- pared to provide dispropor- tionate assistance, cannot accommodate all of the ref- ugees alone." German police said they will conduct rolling check- points on major roads com- ing from Austria but will not check every vehicle and driver for passports. Hungary, however, was introducing much harsher border controls at mid- night — laws that could send smugglers to prison and deport migrants who cut under Hungary's new razor-wire border fence. MIGRANT CRISIS IN EUROPE Renewedborderchecksaddurgencytorefugeedebate MATTHIASSCHRADER—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS A young migrant woman flashes a victory sign as she walks behind a fence a er Hungarian police officers closed the border between Serbia and Hungary in Roszke, southern Hungary in Roszke, on Monday. The Associated Press CAIRO Egyptian forces hunting militants in the country's western desert mistakenly opened fire on Mexican tourists on safari, killing 12 people and deal- ing a further blow to the government's efforts to project an image of stabil- ity as it fights an increas- ingly powerful insurgency, officials said Monday. Egyptian officials said the group did not have per- mission to be in the area, but have not offered a full account of Sunday's in- cident, in which another 10 people were wounded. Mexico's President En- rique Pena Nieto con- demned the attack and demanded a full investiga- tion, and his foreign min- ister said survivors told of- ficials they were fired upon by helicopters and other aircraft. By late Monday, Mexi- co's ambassador to Egypt, Jorge Alvarez Fuentes, told local media that two dead Mexican citizens have been identified as Luis Barajas Fernandez and Maria de Lourdes Fernan- dez Rubio. A third Mexi- can citizen, Rafael Beja- rano, was confirmed dead by his sister, who said she had been informed of his death by his travelling companions. With six Mexicans wounded, that would at least leave five unac- counted for, as reports vary on whether there were 14 or 15 tourists in the group. The incident, among the deadliest involving tour- ists in Egypt, comes as the country is trying to revive its vital tourism industry after the turmoil follow- ing the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt has mainly been battling insurgents in the northern Sinai Peninsula, on the other side of the country, where Islamic mil- itantssteppedupattackson securityforcesafterthemil- itary ousted Islamist Presi- dent Mohammed Morsi in 2013 amid massive protests against his rule. MEXICAN TOURISTS Eg yp ti a n fo rc es fir e on desert safari, killing 12 By Bassem Mroue and Zeina Karam The Associated Press BEIRUT In ramping up its military involvement in Syr- ia's civil war, Russia appears to be betting that the West, horrified by the Islamic State group's spread and an escalating migrants cri- sis, may be willing to quietly tolerate President Bashar Assad for a while, perhaps as part of a transition. The logic is that prior- itizing the fight with the jihadis means accepting Assad as the less bad op- tion despite his own brutal acts, and might produce a more effective and coordi- nated fight in the air and on the ground. It also would reorganize an awkward situation in Syria, whereby the Assad regime and the U.S.-led co- alition are actively fighting the same group but do not act like allies — as opposed to coordination the coali- tion maintains with the central Baghdad author- ities in the parallel fight against Islamic State group in neighboring Iraq. Russia has no such com- plications. A longtime backer of Syr- ia's government, Moscow has recently increased its military activity in Syria, sending military advis- ers, technicians and secu- rity guards with the main goal of setting up an air base near the coastal town of Latakia, a stronghold of the Syrian president. There are reports that the Rus- sians had flown in troops and modular housing units. And Israel's defense min- ister, Moshe Yaalon, says he expects Russians to be fighting alongside Assad's troops. Even more than the con- current assistance by Iran and proxy Shiite militias on behalf of Assad, Rus- sian military intervention could potentially be a game changer in the Syrian con- flict, tipping the scales in a spectacularly ruinous civil war that has killed a quar- ter of a million people and created a massive global hu- manitarian crisis. The degree and speed of the impact depends on scale. And there is also a chance that the Russian efforts could prolong the bloodshed, counteracting the various U.S. efforts to train and arm palatable rebel groups. Russia claims it is mainly motivated by fighting IS. But U.S. President Barack Obama cast the buildup as an effort to prop up Assad. Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, warned that "dou- bling down" on the Assad regime "is not a winning strategy." In an interview with CNN, she said that "Assad cannot be part of a solution ... because he gas- ses his people, uses barrel bombs against them and is responsible for one of the worst torture campaigns in modern memory." Despite such statements, evidence suggests Russian President Vladimir Putin believes the West can be swayed, if only informally. Moscow may also hope that a creatively construc- tive role in Syria might help improve ties with the West, ravaged in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis. ANALYSIS Ru ss ia g am bl es in S yr ia , ra mp in g up i nv ol ve men t MUZAFFAR SALMAN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Syrians hold posters of Syrian President Bashar Assad, far le , and Russian President Vladimir Putin, second le , during a pro-Syrian goverment protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Damascus, Syria. Advertisement IfthiswasyourService Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! Suzy 530-737-5056 Gayla 530-737-5044 For more information Landscape/Fence Steve's Tractor &LandscapeService •FenceBuilding•Landscaping • Trenching • Rototilling • Disking • Mowing • Ridging • Post Hole Digging • Blade Work • Sprinkler Installation • Concrete Work Cont. Lic. #703511 SteveDyke 385-1783 Construction Burrows Construction Remodel, New Additions, Siding Repair and Replacement, Water and Dryrot Damage Specialist, New Construction Foundation to Finish Ph:(530) 515-9779 Residential • Commerical PATIOS•DECKS REFRENCES Lic#824770 InPrintEveryTuesday-Thursday-Saturday Online: Publishes 24/7 www.redbluffdailynews.com Threeadditionalonline locations at no extra cost! Print and On-Line HOME SERVICES DIRECTORY Full Size $ 117 .50 Per Month No early cancellation, non-refundable TWO SIZES TO CHOOSE FROM Half Size $ 70 .00 Per Month Roofing Call for Estimates! Residential, Commercial & Mobiles www.harbertroofing.com HARBERT ROOFING, INC. 530-223-3251 Lic# 696974 Time To Roof? Blinds Need Blinds? C A L L P A U L 527-0842 North State Blinds & Draperies www.nsbd.biz Lic.#906022 Paul Stubbs Lawn Service (530) 566-7951 ★ LAWN SERVICE ★ WEED EATING ★ HEADING ★ GUTTER CLEANING ★ FULL TREE SERVICE ★ FIRE BREAKS ScottWest HONEST& DEPENDABLE Green again landscaping Tractor Service Tractor Service DennisConner Tractor and Weed Control Dennis Conner Owner/Operator (530) 200-1040 Rotary and Flail Mowing Chemical Sprayer, Weed Control, Float and Box Scraper, Leveling Field Clearing and Maintenance Ag certified/Insured Construction A l l en s C o n s t r u c t i o n FREE ESTIMATES 530 949-6162 CA LIC#914460 Concrete J. E. C. Jim England Concrete & Consturction Sidewalk • Driveways Decorative & Stamped Concrete Backhoe/Dumptruck • Tractor Service Takeout & Replacement (530) 945-8295 Lic#682190 House Cleaning • General house cleaning • Windows • New construction clean-up • Garage cleaning 20 Years Experience 530-526-6628 Renee's House Cleaning Service Creative Landscape 529-LAWN-5296 • No Guilt Watering • Xeriscape Design and Installation Experts • Beautiful Landscape With Less Water • Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor • Landscape Coaching Consultants • Landscape Design and Installation Lic. #788453 CreativeLandscapingDesign Advertisement If this was your Service Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! For Suzy 530-737-5056 For Gayla 530-737-5044 For more information Tree Service CROWDER TREE SPECIALIST TRIMMING STUMP GRINDING REMOVAL YARD CLEAN UP $50 OFF ALL SERVICES OVER $200 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE WOOD FOR SALE (530) 899-1853 FREE ESTIMATES CA.S.L.#979193 Serving you since 1947 We accept credit cards EXP. 9/30/2015 Advertisement If this was your Service Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! Call us at 527-2151 For more information Flooring Carpet/Linoleum/VCT Tiles Installation/Restretch/Repair 530-200-3821 License #558476 Email: barryhorner_22@yahoo.com Barry Horner | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015 6 B