Hungary says EU's Dublin rules 'dead'; won't let migrants come back

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary, a major target point for migrants seeking to get into the European Union, called the bloc's relocation rules obsolete on Wednesday and disputed any idea of letting people return to the first EU country they entered. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto challenged the EU's immigration rules as the bloc's leaders met African counterparts on Malta, hoping pledges of cash and other aid can slow the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Hungary has long resisted accepting any returned migrants and Szijjarto told state news agency MTI that he rejected Berlin's announcement on Tuesday that Syrian refugees who have made it to Germany may be sent on to other European countries. "The Dublin system is dead," Szijjarto was quoted as saying, referring to the rule under which the member state where asylum seekers first apply for protection is responsible for examining their claims. If migrants leave that country they may be returned. That onus was on Greece, not landlocked Hungary, Szijjarto said. "If anyone leaves from Syria toward Europe it is physically impossible for them to enter the European Union in Hungary," he said. "Therefore it is not justified to send any Syrians back to Hungary." Hungary has been a point of re-entry to the EU for about 200,000 migrants, many of them Syrians, so far this year. They arrived mostly in Greece, then left the bloc for Macedonia and Serbia before entering Hungary en route to Western Europe. In August, Germany decided to waive for Syrian refugees the Dublin rules which oblige migrants to request asylum in the first EU country they arrive in. But since then, Germany has struggled to cope with the flood of migrants, the biggest on the European continent since World War Two. The government expects 800,0000 to one million overall. Migrants formed a big backlog in Hungary as they were asked to register in the asylum system. In September, Hungary closed its Serbian border with a razor wire fence and police patrols, forcing migrants to head West via EU member Croatia. Zagreb, like Greece, was unable to cope with the flow and sped the migrants along, another 200,000 of them through Hungary across an internal EU border. Hungary closed that border too, forcing the flow through Slovenia. Slovenia will erect "temporary technical hurdles" along parts of its border with Croatia in the next few days to control migrant flows but will keep border crossings open, Prime Minister Miro Cerar said on Tuesday. After telephone talks, Croatia said the two countries had agreed to continue cooperating on the reception and transfer of migrants. "The government will undertake all the necessary measures to protect Croatia's interests," Zagreb added, without giving details. Hungary's Szijjarto said because EU member states did not respect the rules governing entry, the Dublin rules allowing the return of migrants to their first point of entry could not be enforced either. He said pressure grew palpably after German politicians made "irresponsible statements" that some migrants interpreted as an invitation. (Reporting by Marton Dunai; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)