UN chief says 'other ways' than military to tackle migrant crisis amid proposed EU action

Crew members of the French Navy patrol ship Commandant Birot taking part in an operation to rescue 297 migrants who were on board the fishing boat Afandina, in the Mediterranean Sea, on May 20, 2015. -- PHOTO: AFP 
Crew members of the French Navy patrol ship Commandant Birot taking part in an operation to rescue 297 migrants who were on board the fishing boat Afandina, in the Mediterranean Sea, on May 20, 2015. -- PHOTO: AFP 

BRUSSELS (AFP) - United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday there were perhaps "other ways" than the proposed European Union (EU) military action to stop smugglers from shipping migrants over the Mediterranean to Europe.

"My concern was the idea to destroy all these boats," Ban told a press conference. "There may be some other ways... that is the point I expressed in my concerns."

(This story is developing.)

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