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A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 6 September 2019
Turkey threatens to open gates for Syria refugees to go West

By SUZAN FRASER from the deal.
Associated Press In Brussels, European Com-
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — mission spokeswoman Na-
Turkey’s president on Thurs- tasha Bertaud told report-
day threatened to “open ers that both Turkey and
the gates” and allow a the EU were committed to
flood of Syrian refugees to the deal.
leave Turkey for Western “We trust that we can con-
countries unless a so-called tinue this work in good faith
“safe zone” is established with our Turkish partners,”
inside Syria soon in negotia- she said.
tions with the Americans. She said the EU is “provid-
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in ing substantial support to
a speech to his ruling party improve the living condi-
officials, lamented what he tions and protection stan-
described as Turkey being dards of Syrian refugees in
left to shoulder the burden Turkey. To date, the EU has
of Syrian refugees alone. allocated 5.6 billion euros
Turkey is determined to cre- out of the 6 billion that was
ate the safe zone inside Syr- agreed, with the remaining
ia, along its border with the balance due to be allocat-
war-torn country, and was ed shortly.”
ready to do it alone be- Turkey and the United
fore the end of the month if States have been engaged
there is no agreement with in talks to establish a safe
the United States. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to his ruling party officials, in Ankara, Turkey, zone inside Syria east of the
“We will be forced to open Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019. Euphrates River and even
the gates. We cannot be Associated Press set up a joint operations
forced to handle the bur- world and especially from Turks for Syrians to go home with the European Union center in Turkey’s border
den alone,” Erdogan said, the European Union, con- are growing. in March 2016 under which province of Sanliurfa to co-
reiterating Turkey’s annoy- cerning the burden-shar- Hundreds of Syrian refu- Turkey would stem the flow ordinate their efforts. They
ance that past propos- ing,” he said. gees have been detained of migrants into Europe in have also carried out joint
als for the creation of the Turkey opened its borders and reportedly forcibly de- return for funds to help sup- helicopter patrols, includ-
safe zone — envisioned as to Syrians in April 2011 and ported to Syria recently , port the refugees and visa- ing one on Thursday, ac-
a place where refugees is currently home to 3.6 mil- according to accounts by free travel for Turkish citi- cording to Turkey’s military.
could be re-settled — has lion who fled the civil war, refugees. The Turkish gov- zens. But Erdogan accuses But Erdogan said differenc-
been ignored by Western now in its ninth year. But as ernment categorically de- European nations of not es remain with Washing-
nations. Turkey suffers an economic nies reports of forced de- keeping to its side of the ton on what the safe zone
“We did not receive the downturn and rising un- portations. bargain and has frequently would look like. He did not
support needed from the employment, calls among Turkey reached a deal threatened to back away elaborate. q

Hungary touts family policies as alternative to immigration

By PABLO GORONDI eries, family housing subsi- lies, which in many cases
Associated Press dies and a life-long income belong to Hungary’s Roma
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) tax exemption for women minority.
— Hungary’s prime minis- with at least four children. Orban also said Hungarian
ter said Thursday that eco- Orban said that one of family policies were rooted
nomic incentives for fami- the preconditions for the in the constitution to ensure
lies, not immigration, are success of Hungary’s de- their long-term protection
the answer to low birth rates mographic efforts was from “clearly anti-family”
and a decreasing popula- the need for the country court decisions and “of-
tion. Speaking at a gov- to maintain an economic ten anti-family” non-gov-
ernment-organized con- growth rate 2 percentage ernmental organizations,
ference on demography, points higher than the Eu- “which can infiltrate Hun-
Prime Minister Viktor Orban ropean average over the garian decision-making.”
also said that an upturn in coming decade — an am- He did not identify any,
Hungary’s — and possibly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers a speech bitious target. but Orban has regularly
Europe’s — low birth rates during the 3rd Budapest Demographic Summit in Varkert Bazar “Without money, we attacked NGOs which get
may be achieved when conference center in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, Sept. 5, can’t turn around the bad funding from Hungarian-
having children becomes 2019. trends,” he said, noting American billionaire and
economically more ben- Associated Press that Hungary has doubled philanthropist George So-
eficial to families than not ly.” “This is the turning point Czech Prime Minister An- spending on family subsi- ros, an ideological foe.
having them. Orban said for the Hungarian family drej Babis, who spoke dies since Orban returned “According to Hungar-
that higher living standards support system, but we are about their countries’ de- to power in 2010. ian beliefs, every child has
as a result of having chil- not there yet,” Orban said. mographic challenges and Some of the policies, like the right to a father and
dren had to be felt straight- “Years of persistent work praised Orban’s family pol- those which provide tax a mother,” Orban said.
away — “not in the sense are needed.” icy measures. They include breaks instead of direct “When we talk about fam-
that when you’re old your Also attending the event tax breaks for families with subsidies, have been criti- ily and family subsidies, we
child will care for you, but were Serbian President more than one child, the cized for doing little to help support traditional fami-
here and now, immediate- Aleksandar Vucic and construction of more nurs- poor or low-income fami- lies.” q