Page 9 - Aruba Today

WORLD NEWS 9
Tuesday 23 February 2016

Greece braces for growing number of stranded migrants

Greek policemen block Afghan refugees before the Greek- A senior Macedonian for- refugees arrived in Piraeus cordon and crowded at
Macedonian borderline near the northern Greek village of Ido- eign ministry official said from the eastern Aegean the border fence, trying to
meni, Monday, Feb. 22, 2016. Greece’s government warned Croatian authorities discov- islands Monday. The large climb it or cut through the
Monday it expected a growing number of stranded migrants ered several Afghans who number of arrivals on the wire netting. At least four
and asylum seekers after neighbor Macedonia further restricted posed as war refugees had mainland was due to bet- men made it over, and
border access at the weekend. actually lived and worked ter weather after several were promptly arrested by
for some time in Greece, stormy days forced the police on the Macedonian
(AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) and took advantage of the suspension of ferry services side.
wave of migration to seek from the islands. Among the protesting Af-
asylum further north. The Police said about 2,000 ghans was 25-year-old
official spoke on condition people were stranded at Shafiulahh Qaberi who
of anonymity because he in camps near the Greek traveled to Greece from
was not authorized to talk border town of Idomeni, in- the northern Afghan city of
to the press. cluding some 600 Afghans Kunduz.
Nearly 100,000 migrants who staged a peaceful “We’ve been here for three
and refugees have trav- protest, holding up Afghan days, and no one knows
eled to the Greek islands flags and hand-written why they have closed the
from nearby Turkey so far banners. border,” he told the AP.
this year. The coast guard Later, hundreds broke “I don’t need food and I
said 4,427 migrants and through a Greek police don’t need water. q

COSTAS KANTOURIS who are lacking the cul-
Associated Press ture of the European Union
IDOMENI, Greece (AP) — — including Austria, un-
Greece’s government said fortunately — violated this
Monday that it expects a deal 10 hours after it was
growing number of strand- reached,” Ioannis Mouza-
ed refugees and other las, a deputy minister for
migrants because the Eu- migration, told state-run
ropean Union is failing to ERT television.
deal with unilateral actions “The European Union can-
and an “outburst of scare- not act in a united way to
mongering” by individual this outburst of scare-mon-
member states. gering from various coun-
Macedonia further re- tries. And that is creating
stricted at the border with problems, and these prob-
Greece over the weekend, lems also involve our coun-
sparking protests by Af- try.”
ghan nationals at a border Macedonian officials said
crossing. Monday they restricted
Macedonia imposed the the entrance of Afghan
restrictions at the weekend migrants from Greece fol-
after Austria put a cap on lowing similar action from
transit and asylum applica- Serbia, Croatia and Slo-
tions. venia, who in recent days
The action — blocking Af- have returned to Macedo-
ghans from crossing the nia more than 600 Afghans
border and generally re- deemed to be economic
stricting access — left thou- migrants.
sands of migrants stranded Macedonia’s ombudsman
in Greece, at the border Ixhet Memeti told private
and at the port of Piraeus, TV Telma that about 1,500
near Athens, where regular more are expected to be
private services to the bor- deported to Macedonia
der were suspended. soon from countries further
“Once again the European north on the Balkan corri-
Union voted for something, dor, which migrants follow
it reached an agreement, to reach wealthier Europe-
and a number of countries an countries.