(ANSA-AFP) - ATHENS, 11 LUG - Greece on Friday enforced a three-month freeze on asylum claims from migrants arriving by boat from North Africa, to stem a surge from Libya that the government has called an "invasion". The emergency legislation, approved by a majority of 177 out of 293 lawmakers, allows authorities to detain asylum seekers in camps for up to 18 months. Support for the bill mainly came from the conservative government's MPs and far-right lawmakers. "We have made the difficult but absolutely necessary decision to temporarily suspend the examination process of asylum applications for those arriving by sea from North African countries," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement to German tabloid Bild on Friday. "This decision sends a clear message, leaving no room for misinterpretation, to human trafficking networks: Greece is not an open transit route. The journey is dangerous, the outcome uncertain, and the money paid to smugglers ultimately wasted," he said. Greece's migration ministry says over 14,000 migrants have reached the country this year, including over 2,000 in recent days from Libya. (ANSA-AFP).