MILAN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Italy's ANSA news agency reported Wednesday that Austrian territorial military commander Herbert Bauer has announced deployment of 70 soldiers to help police conduct checks at its border with Italy, near the Brenner Pass.
According to ANSA reports, Austria has threatened in the past to shut the Brenner Pass if Italy were to give migrants humanitarian visas to travel across Europe, a possibility Rome has aired but since ruled out.
Earlier on Wednesday, Austria's police chief Helmut Tomac said the move of soldiers' deployment "does not mean that (German tank) Panzers will be deployed there as well."
Also on Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni called for "a greater European effort to face the migrant phenomenon which has a structural dimension and concerns the entire European Union," according to ANSA news agency.
"It is fundamental that the EU's member states should agree to finance in a significant way, already before the European council meeting in October, the EU trust fund for Africa, also to support the activity of the UNHCR and the IOM in Libya," Gentiloni said in a letter to the European Commission.
Gentiloni told European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that "Italy is not sparing any energy to respond, with a national mobilization, to the challenges" of the migrant crisis. "we appreciate the European Commission's determination to be at Italy's side (on migrants) and maintain a constant dialogue with the Italian authorities", he said.
European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told ANSA Wednesday the EU's acting body was "strongly committed to supporting Italy and will continue to work closely with Italian authorities to immediately enact the proposed supplementary measures" on relocations, repatriations and asylum procedures.
"We are counting on the support of all the member states in this work and in showing solidarity with Italy".
