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WORLD NEWSSaturday 19 March 2016

EU, Turkey strike heralded migrant deal but costs are high

French President Francois Hollande, center right, shakes hands with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet tions by humanitarian orga- refugee crisis, and willfully
Davutoglu, center left, during an EU summit in Brussels on Friday, March 18, 2016. European Union nizations. The U.N. refugee ignore its international obli-
and Turkish leaders celebrated a “historic day” after sealing a widely-criticized pact to send thou- agency had already high- gations”, said John Dalhuis-
sands of asylum-seekers back to Turkey. lighted deficiencies in Tur- en, Amnesty’s director for
key’s asylum system, and Europe and Central Asia.
(Stephane de Sakutin, Pool Photo via AP) rights groups expressed Under the plan, the EU
concern about Ankara’s would pay to send new
L. COOK all migrants arriving in the momentous occasion. media crackdown, rights migrants arriving in Greece
M. HADJICOSTIS Greek islands who do not “This is a historic day,” a abuses and its long, bloody who don’t qualify for asy-
Associated Press qualify for asylum or whose beaming Davutoglu told conflict with Kurdish sepa- lum back to Turkey. This
BRUSSELS (AP) — European applications are deemed reporters. “We today real- ratists. could include tens of thou-
Union and Turkish leaders “inadmissible” would be re- ized that Turkey and the But such was Europe’s des- sands who might otherwise
celebrated a “historic day” turned to Turkey. EU have the same destiny, peration that the wealthy qualify but whose applica-
after sealing a widely-crit- In exchange, Ankara was the same challenges, and economic bloc was ready tions could be declared
icized pact to send thou- promised fast-track proce- the same future.” The ar- to declare Turkey a “safe inadmissible because Tur-
sands of asylum-seekers dures to get billions in aid to rival of more than 1 million country” for asylum-seekers key’s likely new “safe coun-
back to Turkey — a deal deal with Syrian refugees, migrants over the past year to be sent to, even though try” designation means
that will cost millions and unprecedented visa con- has plunged Europe into each year at least one of they should have applied
require the rapid dispatch cessions for Turks to come one of its biggest existential every five Turkish citizens for asylum in Turkey rather
of thousands of experts to to Europe and a re-ener- crises, not due to the num- who apply for asylum is than trying to reach richer
Greece to undertake the gizing of its EU membership bers as such but rather the granted it in some Europe- nations in the European
complicated task of mak- bid. inability of the 28 member an countries. heartland.
ing the plan a reality. Turkish Prime Minister Ah- states to agree on the best When asked whether he For every Syrian returned,
Amid broad smiles and met Davutoglu, whose way to tackle the chal- agreed that it was a historic the EU would accept one
congratulatory slaps on country is home to almost 3 lenge and maintain unity. day, the man who chaired Syrian refugee from Turkey
the back, the leaders an- million Syria refugees, pro- Friday’s agreement was the summit, EU Council to ensure that no more
nounced that as of Sunday, claimed the agreement a met with strenuous objec- President Donald Tusk, said people are added to the
he wasn’t sure. estimated 2.7 million Syr-
“I’m not a prophet, but ians already living in that
for today this is one of the country. To make it all work,
most important achieve- some 4,000 people would
ments that we could have have to be deployed, in-
expected,” Tusk said. cluding border guards, mi-
For rights group Amnesty gration officers, translators
International, European and other staff, at a cost
promises that the pact of 300 million euros ($340
would respect internation- million) in just the first six
al law “appear suspiciously months, according to the
like sugar-coating the cya- EU’s executive commission.
nide pill that refugee pro- Greece would also de-
tection in Europe has just ploy monitors to the Turkish
been forced to swallow.” coast, just five miles (nine
“The ‘double-speak’ this kilometers) from the Greek
deal is cloaked in fails to island of Lesbos, a major
hide the European Union’s entry point over the last
dogged determination to year for people seeking
turn its back on a global sanctuary or jobs in Europe.

Shiite cleric takes lead role in Iraq’s protest movement

Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr hold a protest in Basra, BAGHDAD (AP) — Thou- accountability by officials barbed wire and surged
Iraq, Friday, March 18, 2016. Elsewhere, thousands pushed past sands of supporters of an in power. Though al-Sadr over a bridge on the Tigris
security forces and checkpoints to move closer to Baghdad’s influential Iraqi Shiite cleric was not out on the streets, to reach the outer walls of
Green Zone, a fortified complex that is home to the country’s took to Baghdad streets living in the southern holy the Green Zone, the forti-
political elite as well as most of the city’s foreign embassies. on Friday following his de- city of Najaf, the firebrand fied complex home to the
mands for government cleric appears to have suc- country’s political elite,
(AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani) reforms, pushing through cessfully taken over the foreign embassies and the
security checkpoints and protest movement, sidelin- government headquarters
surging over a bridge on ing secular reformists for and which al-Sadr has la-
the Tigris River to set up increasingly sectarian poli- belled a “bastion of sup-
a sit-in outside the Green tics. “Yes, yes, our leader is port for corruption.”
Zone, the heavily secured al-Sadr,” chanted the pro- Just over six months ago
government compound. testers outside the walls of similarly large crowds of
The demonstrations cata- the Green Zone where they impassioned Iraqis were
pulted Muqtada al-Sadr to set up camp. As night fell, also calling for an end to
the forefront of what only Iraqi police did not move corruption and greater ac-
six months ago was an im- against the protesters or try countability, but with very
passioned — albeit mostly to dismantle their encamp- different language, ap-
secular — movement de- ment. Earlier Friday, the pealing to the country’s na-
manding reforms, an end protesters pushed through tionalistic sentiments rather
to corruption and greater security lines, cut coils of than specific leaders.