France to establish asylum checks in Libya

By Hajer M'tiri

PARIS (AA) - France will establish reception centers in Libya to check the eligibility of asylum seekers risking their lives to reach Europe across the Mediterranean, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

"The idea is to create hotspots to avoid people taking crazy risks when they are not all eligible for asylum. We'll go to them," Macron told a news conference after visiting a refugee shelter in Orleans, north-central France, and attending a naturalization ceremony.

He said the plan would be implemented "this summer".

The French leader said there are between 800,000 and a million people in Libya -- waiting in inhumane conditions in camps and hangars -- to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

Over 2,360 migrants have died in the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2017, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).