(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
GENEVA : The United Nations said on Tuesday it was "deeply disappointed" at the failure of European Union ministers to reach a final consensus on a plan to share the relocation of 120000 refugees.
"Decisive agreement is needed without further delay to address the needs as is bold action based on solidarity from all member states" the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.
A majority of EU interior ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday agreed in principle to share out 120000 asylum seekers on top of some 40000 distributed on a voluntary basis so far. But details of the deal to be formalised on Oct. 8 were vague with several ex-Communist central European states still rejecting mandatory quotas.
An estimated 464876 migrants have now crossed the Mediterranean so far this year up from 432000 as of Friday which already doubled the total for all of 2014 the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
Some 72 migrants are believed to have died in past few days trying to cross the seas from Turkey to Greek islands the IOM said.
A file photo of migrants waiting to enter Europe.