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Merkel wants to work with African leaders on migration

Migrants wearing life vests float in an inflatable boat during a rescue operation from the Aquarius vessel of SOS Mediterranee NGO and MSF (Doctors Without Borders) in the sea some 29 miles north of the Libyan coast, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. (Darko Bandic / Associated Press)
Associated Press

BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she wants to work more closely with Libya’s government to curtail illegal migration from Africa to Europe.

The chancellor said in an interview with public broadcaster ZDF on Sunday that she supports training Libya’s coast guard to prevent migrants from risking their lives by trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

Merkel says she also is interested in fostering a “migration partnership” with Niger to inhibit the smuggling of migrants through African deserts on the way to Libya.

Merkel is scheduled to meet in Paris on Monday with her French, Italian and Spanish counterparts, as well as the presidents of Chad, Niger and Libya, for talks on curbing migration.