PARIS (AP) – The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain are meeting Monday with counterparts from Libya, Niger and Chad to discuss ways to curb illegal migration across the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
As a key transit point on the route, Libya is expected to be a focus of the discussions convened by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The leader of Libya’s internationally-backed government, Fayez Serraj, is representing the troubled north African country.
The leaders also plan to discuss security cooperation, and the European leaders will then hold separate talks focused on European Union matters.
A top diplomatic official at the French presidency said the goal of the meeting is to produce a common “roadmap” that would define priority actions on migration routes.
One issue to be addressed is helping Libya and other countries of Africa’s Sahel region to fight human smuggling. Another is developing a resettlement policy for migrants who appear to fulfill criteria for obtaining asylum, the French official said.