Macedonia Police Boost Border Presence Amid Refugee Tensions

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) The Macedonia police told BIRN on Tuesday that they were stepping up measures amid increased tensions at an overcrowded camp near the border after a clash between police and refugees trying to enter the country by force the previous day.

"We are closely following developments... We have already boosted our presence at the border as more clashes are certainly possible" a police source told BIRN on condition of anonymity.

Macedonian media reported that groups of frustrated refugees and migrants had again massed on the Greek side and were heading for the border with Macedonia.

Desperation has grown at the nearby Camp Idomeni where the situation has deteriorated after heavy rains.

Crowded conditions have led to a lack of food shelter water and sanitation at the camp and at least 1500 people spentMonday nightout in the open the UN refugee agency said.

"The crowded conditions are leading to shortages of food shelter water and sanitation. As we all sawyesterday tensions have been building fuelling violence and playing into the hands of people smugglers" UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a news briefing on Tuesday.

In an interview withDer Spiegel Ivanov said that he does not want to see his country turn into a “warehouse of migrants”.Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov warned on Tuesday meanwhile that the ‘Balkan route’ through his country could be fully closed soon due to the limits on refugees imposed by Austria.

“We need a political decision now. Soon it will be too late” Ivanov said.

Between 7000-10000 refugees and migrants remain stranded on the Greek side of the border as Macedonia continues to allow only small portion of them to cross.

The Macedonian authorities have said that the border remains open but that they are sticking to the previously determined cap of 580 refugees per day.

Some of the refugees have been stuck at Camp Idomeni for a week.

Hundreds of small tents have been erected in the fields around the official camp which can accommodate no more people.

Families of 10 are sharing four-man tents Caroline Haga an emergency co-ordinator for theInternational Committee of the Red Cross told the BBC.

Greek state news agency ANA said another 6000 people were now expected to head to the border area after landing on the Aegean islands from neighbouring Turkey.

Some 700 Afghani Syrian and Iraqi nationals are already stranded on Macedonian soil near the border with Serbia.

Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki has defended the use of tear gas against the refugees and migrants who tried to break through the barbed wire fence on the border on Monday.

“If you are part of the security forces and you are faced with a situation where you have a violent attempt from several hundred young male people to enter territory without willing[ness] to register or to go to reception centres I don't think that this is in line with what we have agreed at the European level” Poposki told the BBC on Monday.

But the EU said on Tuesday that it was worried by the unrest at the Greek-Macedonian border.

"The commission is very concerned by the images we saw yesterday" European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a press conference.

Meanwhile the president of the European Council Donald Tusk has announced he will visit Macedonia on Wednesday as part of EU efforts to tackle the ongoing crisis.