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world news Diahuebs 11 November 2021

EU accuses Belarus of ‘trafficking’ migrants toward border

(AP) — European Union Polish authorities have tweet- ly irresponsible and unac-
officials on Wednesday ed video of migrants, some Poland says Russia bears ceptable.” Foreign Minister
accused Belarus of state- using shovels and wire cut- some responsibility for the Sergey Lavrov also has sug-
sponsored “trafficking” ters, trying to break through crisis, given its staunch back- gested the EU give Belarus
of human lives by luring a fence on the border to enter ing of Lukashenko. Germa- financial aid to stop the mi-
desperate migrants to the Poland. ny’s interior minister, Horst grant flow.
Polish border — the edge Seehofer, also accused Lu-
of the EU — where many The West has accused Be- kashenko of “using people’s European Commission
are now stuck in make- larus President Alexander fates — with the support of President Ursula von der
shift camps in freezing Lukashenko of encouraging Russian President Vladimir Leyen met with President Joe
weather. migrants from the Middle Putin — to destabilize the Biden at the White House European Council President
East to travel to his country West.” on Wednesday and discussed Charles Michel met in War-
As the crisis showed no sign and sending them toward EU the possibility of the U.S. saw with Morawiecki in a
of easing, an EU leader also members Poland, Lithuania Latvian Prime Minister Kris- and Europe levying sanctions gesture of solidarity, saying:
said the bloc was, for the first and Latvia as a way to retaliate janis Karins added that “it against airlines that play a “We are facing a hybrid, bru-
time, considering the idea of against the bloc for sanctions is what I would call a state- role in the influx of migrants tal, violent and unworthy at-
funding the construction of imposed on the authoritarian sponsored human trafficking, through Belarus. tack, and we can only reply to
a wall or some other barrier regime for its crackdown on which is affecting directly my this with firmness and unity,
on its eastern border. That internal dissent since a dis- country, Lithuania and Po- Von der Leyen said afterward in accordance with our core
idea has always been rejected puted election in 2020. land.” they shared the assessment values.”
before and still faces many that “this is an attempt by an
political and humanitarian Belarus denies the allega- The Kremlin’s account of the authoritarian regime to try to Michel also said the EU is
obstacles. tions, but has said it will no call with Merkel said Putin destabilize democratic neigh- discussing the possibility of
longer stop migrants and oth- proposed a discussion be- bors. This will not succeed.” funding “physical infrastruc-
Polish authorities estimate ers seeking to enter the EU. tween “representatives of EU ture” on its external borders.
that about 3,000-4,000 mi- member states and Minsk.” Washington condemned Be- The EU’s executive commis-
grants have gathered along Steffen Seibert, a spokes- It also said Putin and Merkel larus for “politically exploit- sion has long held that walls
its border with Belarus, with man for German Chancel- “agreed to continue the con- ing vulnerable people” and and barriers are not effective
hundreds concentrated in lor Angela Merkel, said in versation.” supports Poland, Lithuania and has refused to fund them
one makeshift camp not far Berlin that Minsk is engaged and Latvia in confronting with money from the bloc.
from the Kuznica crossing. in “state-run smuggling and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry the challenge, U.S. Assistant It would only pay for secu-
Warsaw has bolstered securi- trafficking ... happening Peskov rejected suggestions Secretary of State for Euro- rity cameras and surveillance
ty at the frontier, where it has 100% at the expense of the by Morawiecki that Moscow pean and Eurasian Affairs equipment, not walls, fences
declared a state of emergency. people who are lured into the has any responsibility in the Karen Donfried told The As- and other physical infrastruc-
country with false promises.” crisis, calling them “absolute- sociated Press. ture.

French ex-president testifies: “I owe it” to attack victims

(AP) — When Islamic fire at cafes and bars in the cific intelligence of an attack
State attackers struck Hollande was at France’s na- city center, and the night cul- planned that night, although With the attack still ongoing,
Paris in 2015, France’s tional soccer stadium when minated with a bloody siege concerts and sports events Hollande declared a national
president at the time was a suicide bomber blew him- at the Bataclan concert hall. were always thought to be state of emergency and at-
within earshot of the first self up outside the gates that Hollande ordered the final possible targets of an extrem- tempted to close France’s
suicide bombing. night, the first in a series assault on the three remain- ist group bent on mass casu- borders. But Abdeslam
of attacks across Paris that ing attackers inside the Bata- alties. slipped out with the help of
By the time the bloodshed would last for three more clan and shortly afterwards friends from Brussels, who
finally ended hours later, 130 hours. asked to go to the site him- “If you wanted to avoid all drove through the night to
people were dead and Fran- self, watching survivors walk risk of attack you would have fetch him and are now among
çois Hollande watched from French officials had known out. had to close every site, cancel those charged in Paris.
the street as bloodied sur- for months that the country every show. Is that what’s ex-
vivors staggered out of the could be a target, Hollande “I see people leaving the pected of the president?” he The same loose circle of Is-
Bataclan concert hall. testified. He said it was even Bataclan, even then, holding asked. lamic State fighters later at-
known that Islamic State ex- on to each other. They see tacked the airport and metro
Surrounded by a squad of tremists were entering dis- me and cannot say a single Hollande said he first learned in Brussels, days after Ab-
security guards, the former guised as refugees. “But we word,” he testified. “This will there was an Islamic State deslam was found at a hide-
French president walked into did not know where, when, remain with me forever.” cell dedicated to plotting at- out in Molenbeek, the neigh-
a specially designed court- or how they would strike us,” tacks in Europe in June 2014, borhood of the Belgian capi-
room Wednesday to testify in he said. All nine attackers died. Salah and first heard the name of tal where he, Abaaoud and
the trial of 14 men over the Abdeslam, the chief defen- Abdelhamid Abaaoud as its many of the other defendants
Nov. 13, 2015, Islamic State After the suicide attack at the dant in the trial, discarded a French-speaking operational grew up together.
attacks on Paris. stadium, gunmen opened malfunctioning explosives leader in August 2015. He
vest and fled home to Bel- said authorities believed As he promised in his open-
gium. His brother died in Abaaoud, a Belgian who ing statement, Hollande an-
Paris trying to detonate his spearheaded the Paris attacks swered every question put to
vest at a café. and died in a police raid days him by victims’ lawyers, even
later in the suburb of Saint when the presiding judge
Except for Abdeslam, most of Denis, was in Syria heading grew testy at times with their
the 14 men in the courtroom up a Raqqa-based Islamic repetition.
are accused of helping with State cell to attack Europe.
logistics or transportation. It was, he said, his responsi-
Six others are being tried in On Sept. 27, 2015, Hol- bility: “I owe it to those who
absentia. lande said, French airstrikes survived and who live every
hit Raqqa for the first time, day in their flesh and in their
Hollande was pressed repeat- in large part to try and dis- minds the memory of this
edly on whether government rupt any plot. But by then evening and who seek and
policy and intelligence fail- Abaaoud was already on the demand explanations.”
ures led to the attacks. He in- way to Paris along with other
sisted that there was no spe- Europeans in the cell.