Spain's prime minister has vowed an all-out campaign to stop illegal immigration to his country from Africa.
Speaking Wednesday during a visit to Spain's Canary Islands, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said his government will use all resources possible to control the flow of illegal immigrants and to cooperate with sub-Saharan African countries.
So far this year, more than 10,000 Africans have made the dangerous sea journey to the Canary Islands, located off the coast of Morocco. The number is double that for all of 2005.
In May, the Spanish government appealed to the European Union for help in detecting and intercepting migrant boats at sea. The EU's border patrol agency, Frontex, is scheduled to begin air and sea patrols next week along Africa's western coast.
Spain was one of the 57 countries that took part in a European-African immigration summit in Rabat, Morocco this week.
Representatives adopted a draft plan to combat illegal immigration through police and judicial cooperation, and economic development in the African countries where most of the would-be migrants originate.
