The EU's stinking refugee deal with Turkey
Merkel seemingly has a solution to an increasingly fraught problem, while Erdogan is able to present himself as an indispensable statesman in the run-up to an election, writes Malik [Reuters]
"The whole point of the deal is to allow the EU to push refugees beyond its borders. Over the past few weeks, the European Union has been stitching together a deal with Turkey to try to resolve Europe's refugee crisis.
More than half-a-million migrants and refugees have arrived at the EU's southern and eastern borders this year alone. It has led to EU's eastern borders being sealed off and bitter arguments over who should take responsibility for the influx.
More than 3,000 migrants have drowned at sea, thousands more are trapped in freezing, muddy fields along Europe's borders. The chaos has undermined the credibility of the EU and boosted the fortunes of anti-immigration groups.
The majority of migrants have come through Turkey, hence the EU's desire to seal a deal with Ankara. The exact terms are still being hammered out, but the EU seems to have promised Turkey up to $3.3bn to help it host Syrian refugees, take back "irregular migrants" who have entered the EU, and block off the migrant route to the EU by "upgrading" its surveillance and patrols.
In return, Turkey has been promised not just cash, but also the easing of visa restrictions on its citizens travelling to the EU, and an "unfreezing" of Turkey's bid for EU membership.
Many have described this as a "win-win" deal. It is certainly beneficial for politicians on either side, in particular, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan." "
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/10/eu-stinking-refugee-deal-turkey-151026093515679.html
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"Many have described this as a "win-win" deal."
Yeah, right, if you only take into account the EU and Turkey and ignore the refugees, I suppose it is.
How can Turkey, relatively poor nation, handle the massive refugee influx adequately when the vastly richer and larger European Union cannot? A meagre "aid package" is supposed to suffice? In my opinion this deal is a "Win-Win-Lose" deal, with the refugees being the losers.