German minister urges Europe to pick up refugees from camps

"I suggest we agree on a generous quota in which we take refugees from crisis regions to Europe without allowing people smugglers to profit," said Thomas de Maiziere on Monday at a press conference in Berlin, adding that he was expressing a personal view.

"It should be a generous quota so that Europe can fulfill its humanitarian obligations," Germany's interior minister stated, without specifying any further details.

Nearly 2,750 people have died in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, as the overcrowded boats taking them to Europe capsized.

Germany is a prime destination for migrants coming to Europe. According to the ministry of the interior, the country is expecting at least 800,000 migrants to arrive this year - and possibly even up to one million.

Czech minister: Quota system might be illegal

De Maiziere's comments seemed to be echoing those of British Prime Minister David Cameron: During his visit to a refugee camp in Jordan last week, he announced that his country would be taking 20,000 Syrians "straight out of refugee camps in Jordan and elsewhere, and giving them a home in our country". However, he underlined that "it's so important to keep people close to their homes" rather than letting them embark on perilous journeys across the Mediterranean and Europe.

European countries are deeply divided over the refugee crisis. Great Britain and most central and eastern European EU members opposed quotas for the distribution of migrants.

Ahead of Wednesday's summit of EU leaders, the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, who all oppose a quota system, are meeting on Monday in Prague with Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec questioned the legality of a EU quota system for distributing refugees. He stressed that it might be illegal under EU law to keep refugees involuntarily in one particular country.

Meanwhile, European Parliament President Martin Schulz expressed his concerns that Wednesday's EU summit on the refugee crisis might end in discord.

das /rg(AP, AFP)