Italian President urges solidarity, aid for migrants

Rome, Aug 19 (IANS/AKI) Italy should show solidarity with migrants landing on its shores and help improve conditions in their homelands, the country's President Sergio Mattarella said on Friday.

"No one can wish for an ever-greater influx of migrants but there is a danger this will happen if we think we can simply bar them," Mattarella said.

"Rapidly and with serious intent, we need to create job opportunities and well-being in those countries where people have nothing," he said.

"The reason for this is that the welfare of migrants wholly coincides with our own," Mattarella said, adding that people traffickers must be treated with "utmost severity".