Mattarella says EU can absorb migrants, update

(ANSA) - Madrid, May 11 - Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Monday that European Union members are capable of absorbing migrants arriving on the shores of Italy and Spain, which he described as "the shores of Europe".
    "No one can ignore the fact that refugees who arrive on our shores are seeking (life) in the EU and no one can deny that the Union can absorb them," the president said.
    Mattarella said that he was "confident" that heightened world attention to the plight of migrants would be helpful in focusing EU attention.
    "All this international activity bodes well: it has increased the collective consciousness and I am confident that we will see the EU take its proper role".
    He also said that Europe must take "forward action" on Libya now to avoid greater problems in the future.
    Libya has become a launching ground for human traffickers launching migrants across the Mediterranean.