Croatia might deploy army to manage migrant crisis, says PM

Reuters
Migrants and refugees wait to be registered by the authorities before continuing their train journey to western Europe at a refugee transit camp in Slavonski Brod, Croatia, February 10, 2016. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

ZAGREB (Reuters) - Croatia might deploy its armed forces to help police control migrant flows in response to the refugee crisis, Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic said on Tuesday. "If it becomes necessary to use the army, we will activate that option. It would be an assistance in easing procedure," Oreskovic told a news conference in Berlin after meeting German chancellor Angela Merkel. Neighboring Slovenia approved such a move last month after amending existing laws. Croatia would have to follow a similar process to do likewise. Oreskovic said Croatia favored a European Union-wide solution to the migrant crisis. Since last September more than 650,000 migrants have passed through Croatia towards western Europe, primarily Germany, but border restrictions imposed by countries along the Balkan route have led to a build-up of new arrivals in Greece. (Reporting by Igor Ilic; editing by John Stonestreet)