Balkans backup Refugees stranded in southeastern Europe,

SKOPJE – As doors slam shut in Western Europe and razor-wire fences go up in the east, the massive wave of Middle Eastern refugees is backing up in the Balkans, where overwhelmed nations lack the will or resources to offer a long-term solution. The ultimate destination for many of the refugees from Syria, Iraq, Libya and other war-torn nations is Germany, both for its rich benefits and its initial pledge to take in more than any other European Union nation. But when Germany announced that it was rescinding its offer and Hungary made itself a de facto firewall to Western Europe, tens of thousands of refugees already in transit were stranded in camps in Balkan nations including Croatia, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia."The Balkans should not become a parking lot or no man's land of blocked refugees,” said Johannes Hahn, a European Union commissioner from Austria.