AP, Berlin :U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon says building barriers won’t solve the migrant crisis in Europe.The United Nations secretary-general told German daily Bild in an interview published Friday that “building walls, discriminating against people or sending them back is no answer to the problem.”Ban praised German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “human political leadership” in dealing with the migrant crisis and urged other politicians to follow her example. He declined to comment on speculation that Merkel might be nominated to succeed him in the top U.N. role when his second term ends on Dec. 31.Brussels report adds: Turkey’s prime minister raised hopes of a deal with EU leaders on Friday to help stem the influx of migrants into Europe, but France and Germany warned of difficult talks as both sides grapple with how to send refugees back from Greece.After European Union leaders spent Thursday arguing over their negotiating position, Ahmet Davutoglu arrived for an early meeting with the prime minister of the Netherlands – holder of the bloc’s rotating presidency – and senior EU officials before a summit with the heads of state and government to forge a deal.”Of course the EU and Turkey have the same goal, the same objective to help Syrian refugees… I am sure … we will be achieving our goal,” Davutoglu told reporters before going into talks he hopes will yield financial and political concessions for Ankara.However, Davutoglu also hinted in his comments at sensitive issues in the deal to tackle Europe’s migration crisis such as whether it would respect international law and how far the EU would want to go to speed up Turkey’s bid to join the bloc.German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who devised the outlines of the plan with Davutoglu, has said Friday’s meeting will not be easy and French President Francois Hollande echoed her caution.”I can’t guarantee you a happy ending,” he told reporters after Thursday’s talks. A senior Turkish official told Reuters that Davutoglu would press the EU to open up new areas of negotiation on its long-stalled bid to join the bloc, despite a veto threat by Cyprus.The EU discussions have also revealed considerable doubts among member states over whether a deal could be made either legal under international law or workable.
