Munich (dpa) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday
accused the German government of “moral imperialism” in the refugee
crisis, as opposition politicians protested his meeting with leaders
of Bavaria‘s conservative party.

“Whatever Germany decides to do should only hold for them,” Orban
said at the Christian Social Union‘s annual autumn meeting, alluding
to Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s virtual open-door refugee policy.

“Hungarians don‘t want this,” he said, while adding that he admired
Merkel and did not want to get involved in Germany‘s domestic
affairs.

Orban was visiting the CSU party convention at the Banz monastery in
Bad Staffelstein just hours before EU leaders were due to meet for a
summit in Brussels to discuss the migration crisis in Europe.

Horst Seehofer – leader of the CSU, which is the Bavarian-based
sister party of Merkel‘s Christian Democratic Union – held talks with
Orban on the crisis.

At the party meeting Orban outlined a six-point package of demands,
including a 3-billion-euro programme (3.3 billion dollars) to tackle
the crisis. The money should be used in part to secure the EU‘s
external borders, such as the flashpoint Hungarian-Serbian border.

Orban also called on EU countries to volunteer their help in the
surveillance of Greek borders and asked for refugees and economic
migrants to be separated before entering the Schengen area, which
enables passport-free movement in Europe.

Further, he asked for a joint European list of safe countries of
origin and suggested a “special partnership with Turkey” to handle
the growing number of refugees crossing into Europe.

Orban again rejected a mandatory refugee quota scheme inside the EU –
approved by the majority of the bloc‘s interior ministers on Tuesday
– but promoted the idea of “world quotas.”

Seehofer also criticised Merkel‘s refugee policy.

“A German decision” had suspended existing rules in Europe, the CSU
chief said after meeting Orban, referring to Merkel‘s decision to
allow refugees in Hungary to come to Germany, even though EU rules
requires them to apply for asylum in the first country they enter.

This had caused the “chaotic situation” in Europe, Seehofer said.

Opposition politicians from the Social Democrat Party (SPD), the
Greens, and left-wing Die Linke, meanwhile gathered outside the
venue, blowing whistles and holding placards as well as pieces of
barbed-wire fence to protest the visit of the Hungarian leader.

Orban has erected a fence at his country‘s border with Serbia and is
extending it to Croatia to bar migrants from entering.

The leader of the SPD parliamentary faction, Thomas Oppermann, was
also annoyed about Orban‘s visit to the CSU, saying he was part of
the problem, not the solution.

“Orban tramples human rights under foot and Seehofer rolls out the
red carpet for him. This is not OK,” he said.

Seehofer defended his talks with Orban, saying European rules had to
be adhered to. “For that Viktor Orban deserves our support, not our
criticism,” he said.

Bavaria has thus far shouldered the heaviest burden of asylum seekers
in Germany with most of the new arrivals crossing the state‘s border
with Austria.

Seehofer, who is also prime minister of the German state of Bavaria,
has clashed publicly with Merkel since she announced her refugee
policy at the beginning of the month.