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world news Diabierna 20 Mei 2022

Britain, Rwanda defend asylum-seekers plan at UN agencies

By JAMEY KEATEN legally over the last year, and between legal routes to en-
Associated Press insisted that her Conserva- try, which Britain welcomes,
GENEVA (AP) — Britain tive government — along and the approaches by some
and Rwanda on Thursday with Rwanda — was “find- migrants who try to enter il-
faced down two United ing new innovative solutions legally.
Nations agencies that to global problems” amid a The ministers met with the
have sharply criticized crisis of illegal immigration. U.N. High Commissioner
their controversial plan in She insisted the plan was for Refugees Filippo Grandi,
which Britain expects to about saving lives of people who last month – the same
send some asylum-seekers taken by smugglers on often- day when Britain’s parlia-
from the U.K. to the Afri- treacherous journeys to try to ment passed a bill on asylum
can country. reach Britain. and nationality – regretted
“I’m afraid other organiza- approval of the U.K. govern-
In an interview with The As- tions and other countries, ment’s proposal for a new
sociated Press before meeting you know, are not coming up approach to asylum that “un-
top officials from the U.N. with alternatives -- and the dermines established inter-
human rights and refugee status quo is simply not ac- national refugee protection
agencies, Rwandan Foreign ceptable anymore,” she said. law and practices.”
Minister Vincent Biruta ac- The meetings come a day af- When the program – the Mi-
knowledged it was “fine that ter Patel’s office, hosting Bi- gration and Economic De-
they be concerned,” adding ruta in London, announced velopment Partnership – was
that the discussion was aimed that a “first tranche of illegal announced in mid-April, rights office tweeted its sup- some 30,000 people might be
“to bring them on board” to migrants with no right to be Grandi’s assistant high com- port for UNHCR’s position, involved in the plan, but in
work with the two countries. in the UK have now been no- missioner for refugees, Gil- saying the plan raises human any case Rwanda could take
The U.N. refugee agency tified” of the British govern- lian Triggs, insisted that peo- rights concerns — notably in thousands.
chief, in remarks on Twitter, ment’s intention to relocate ple fleeing war, conflict and about forcible returns, fam- Rwandan authorities in re-
sounded unconvinced. them to Rwanda. persecution deserved empa- ily separation, “arbitrary de- cent years have given asylum
Under the plan unveiled last Patel declined to specify how thy, adding: “They should privation of liberty” and the to hundreds of people seek-
month, British officials said many people would be in that not be traded like commodi- prospect that cases might not ing shelter as a result of ar-
they will send to migrants first group, how they arrived ties and transferred abroad be assessed on an individual rangements with Israel, the
arriving in the U.K. illegally in Britain, or how many peo- for processing.” basis. African Union, the U.N.
– often as stowaways or in ple overall might be sent to After Thursday’s meeting, A statement from the British and others. Many were from
small boats crossing the Eng- Rwanda under the plan, say- Grandi tweeted that he had Home Office after the meet- Eritrea and Ethiopia, includ-
lish Channel – to Rwanda. ing “we don’t share our op- reiterated his concerns about ings in Geneva, which also ing some who languished for
There the migrants’ asylum erational details.” the deal, adding: “Shifting involved visits with diplo- months in detention centers
claims will be processed, and She decried “a lot of deliber- asylum responsibilities is mats from Australia, Canada, in Libya.
if successful, the migrants ate misinformation” about not the solution.” He said New Zealand and the United Some people who went to
will stay there. the people who would be his agency, UNHCR, “will States, said Rwanda was a Rwanda have insisted that
U.N. officials and other crit- sent to Rwanda. She also continue proposing concrete “fundamentally safe and se- the country — with a popu-
ics — particularly in the two touted her country’s “out- solutions that respect inter- cure country.” It added that lation of 13 million, and Af-
countries — raised human standing record of resettling national law.” the partnership plan would rica’s most densely populated
rights concerns and warned people and hosting migrants The ministers also met with process asylum claims in ac- country, is not a suitable ref-
such a move goes against the and refugees” – noting 15,000 Nada al-Nashif, the U.N. cordance with the Refugee uge. Rwanda already is home
international Refugee Con- people were brought from deputy high commissioner Convention, as well as na- to more than 130,000 refu-
vention. Afghanistan to Britain and for Human Rights. Her of- tional and international hu- gees from countries such as
British Home Secretary Priti the issuance of 100,000 visas fice didn’t comment after man rights laws. Burundi, Congo, Libya and
Patel said Britain had seen to Ukrainians. Thursday’s meeting. Rwanda’s Biruta said ini- Pakistan.q
over 20,000 people enter il- Patel sought to distinguish Last month, the U.N. human tial planning considered that

Lebanon receives Interpol notice for auto tycoon Ghosn

is not an arrest warrant and money laundering and abuse
does not require Lebanon to of company assets.
arrest Ghosn. Prosecutors are investigating
It is the second Red Notice millions of dollars in alleged
that Lebanon has received in suspect payments made be-
the case, as the first was is- tween the Renault-Nissan
sued in January 2020, a few alliance and Suhail Bahwan
days after Ghosn fled Japan Automobiles (SBA), a ve-
for Lebanon in a gripping es- hicle distributor company in
cape. Oman.
The judicial officials, who The former head of the Nis-
spoke on condition of ano- san-Renault alliance fled to
nymity in line with regula- Lebanon in 2019, while out
tions, said the notice was re- on bail facing financial mis-
ceived Thursday by the pros- conduct charges in Japan. He
ecutor’s office in Beirut. denies wrongdoing.
The new Red Notice came Ghosn noted last month after
after the French prosecutor’s the arrest warrant was issued
By BASSEM MROUE weeks after French pros- further details about the In- office in the Paris suburb of that he’s barred from leaving
Associated Press ecutors issued an interna- terpol-issued Red Notice, Nanterre said last month Lebanon anyway.
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon tional arrest warrant for which is a non-binding re- that it issued the warrant for Lebanon does not extradite
received from Interpol him, Lebanese judicial of- quest to law enforcement the former head of Nissan its citizens. Ghosn has citi-
a wanted notice for dis- ficials said. agencies worldwide that they and Renault and four other zenship in Lebanon, France
graced auto tycoon Carlos locate and provisionally ar- people based on an investi- and Brazil.q
Ghosn on Thursday, four The officials did not give rest a fugitive. A Red Notice gation opened in 2019 into