Spain and France are to present a common plan to fight illegal immigration at the upcoming European Union summit in Britain, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced Monday in Barcelona, DPA reported. The two leaders said the Spanish-French initiative would cover all aspects of the problem including the control of outer borders of the E.U., questions of security and the development of countries from where the illegal immigrants originate. Zapatero stressed that the countries of Europe must urgently provide an "comprehensive answer" to the stream of immigrants, and be more united in the fight against illegal immigration. Villepin said that after the refugee drama in the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa, a new wave of African refugees must be prevented from heading northward. He added that the development of the immigrants' home countries must be given a new impetus. --SP 2201 Local Time 1901 GMT
