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UN envoys visit Libya to discuss illegal immigration

Source: Xinhua   2017-03-23 05:11:14            

TRIPOLI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- UN envoys met with Libya's undersecretary of foreign affairs here on Wednesday, discussing the latest developments of illegal immigration and displacement in Libya.

The Libyan undersecretary, Lutfi Al-Maghribi, called on International Migration for Organization (IMO) and the UN Support Mission in Libya to provide assistance to stop the inflowing migrants by monitoring borders, as he met with the IMO director William Lacy Swing and the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, Martin Kolber.

Al-Maghribi also said that Libya "does not want to adopt laws that criminalize illegal immigration."

"Libya, once a booming economy which many hopeful migrants viewed as a prized destination, is today a country beset by a grave security situation, a collapsing economy with virtually no service provision which is worsening an increasingly complex migration situation," Swing said.

He also underscored that IMO is enhancing its support to "the most vulnerable people in the country, migrants or Libyans."

Swing said that they came to meet with the government authorities for exchange of views and confirm their priorities in the field of migration, trying to continue support of the detention center.

"We are also here to support with respect to the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people who need assistance," he added.

Libya is a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe. Smugglers take advantage of the state of insecurity and chaos in Libya to send thousands of immigrants through the sea, many of whom die on the way.

Editor: Mu Xuequan
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UN envoys visit Libya to discuss illegal immigration

Source: Xinhua 2017-03-23 05:11:14

TRIPOLI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- UN envoys met with Libya's undersecretary of foreign affairs here on Wednesday, discussing the latest developments of illegal immigration and displacement in Libya.

The Libyan undersecretary, Lutfi Al-Maghribi, called on International Migration for Organization (IMO) and the UN Support Mission in Libya to provide assistance to stop the inflowing migrants by monitoring borders, as he met with the IMO director William Lacy Swing and the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, Martin Kolber.

Al-Maghribi also said that Libya "does not want to adopt laws that criminalize illegal immigration."

"Libya, once a booming economy which many hopeful migrants viewed as a prized destination, is today a country beset by a grave security situation, a collapsing economy with virtually no service provision which is worsening an increasingly complex migration situation," Swing said.

He also underscored that IMO is enhancing its support to "the most vulnerable people in the country, migrants or Libyans."

Swing said that they came to meet with the government authorities for exchange of views and confirm their priorities in the field of migration, trying to continue support of the detention center.

"We are also here to support with respect to the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people who need assistance," he added.

Libya is a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe. Smugglers take advantage of the state of insecurity and chaos in Libya to send thousands of immigrants through the sea, many of whom die on the way.

[Editor: huaxia]
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