CoE asks Turkey Free Movement + International Access +Protection for Syrian Refugees closed in Camps
A CoE Resolution, after a Goup of MEPs' visit on the spot, asked Turkey to "offer" Syrian Refugees, currently closed in Turkish Camps, "Freedom of Movement", and to open them "Access to International (i.e. UNO, Red Cross/Crescent, etc.) protection", as well as "Information on their Rights", while also "grant(ing) International Organisations and NGOs .... regular Access in Refugee Camps", and "allow(ing) the Media to ...Contact .. the Refugees".
CoE's Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, recently endorsed and declassified the Report of an inter-party CoE Assembly Delegation on its earlier, 2011 visit to Antakya (Turkey) :
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CoE: Turkish "Camps not ...open to International observers" -----------------------------------------------------
- "Almost None has been given Permission to Enter" the Turkish Camps, "although a number of National and International Delegations have .. gone Near to the Refugee Camps", including "Representatives of Political Parties and of Diplomatic Missions , Journalists, a delegation from the World Healh Organisation, representatives of NGO, and (even) MEPs from CoE's competent Committe" : Turkish "Authorities .... Refused all the Delegations' , the Report denounced from the outset.
- MEPs, "Members of the .. (competent).. Committee ...however, would have liked to have been able to go Inside to see for themselves the Refugees' material Living Conditions, as well as to feel the Atmosphere and Speak Freely with a great number of Syrians". Instead of meeting only, Outside of the Camps, just a few Refugees, pre-selected and brought out guarded by the Turkish Authorities, on the contrary, CoE's "Delegation woule have liked to have seen for itself what .. (Turkish) Refugee Camps (for Syrians) looked like", the Report (drafted by Representatives of all 5 Political Groups) criticizes for these unprecedented incidents.
=> Thus, all "the Members of the (competent, CoE's) Committee are at a loss to understand the (Turkish Authorities') Refusal to let them enter" the Syrian Refugees' Camps at the Turkish borders, they complained.
>>> In conclusion, "the (CoE's inter-Party) Delegation recommends .. the Turkish Authorities to grant Full Access to the Camps to CoE Delegations, in order to do heir Fact-Finding and Monitoring activities, as effective as possible".
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Return Mystery
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=> In these circumstances, it remains a Mystery why, from some 20.000 Syrian Refugees initially registered in the Turkish Camps, much more than the Half (about 12.000) had already prefered to Return back in Syria, leaving on the spot only about of One Third (some 7.000) :
- Therefore, "the (CoE's) Committee's Members asked the (Turkish) Authorities ... about the Reasons for, and the Circumstances of these Returns".
- But, "the (Turkish) AUthorities explained .. that they were Ignorant of the Motives for, and the Circumstances of Returns" of Syrian Refugees who massively left the closed Turkish Camps. "The (Turkish) Authorities had (not even) asked the Syrians .. why they are Leaving", as the Turks claimed.
According to certain reports by Syrian Refugees, "some (among those who left).. had also Disappeared". Others "alleged that thye Syrian Authorities were putting Pressure.. to return", (etc).
At least in one, high-note case, that of former dissident Syrian Colonel Hussein Harmoush, who was last seen at a Refugee Camp in Tukey at the end of August 2011, it was reported, by mainstream Media s (f.ex. "The Guardian", etc), that he was kidnapped by Turkish Services after a meeting with them, and "smuggled" to Syria, in exchange of 6 Kurdish Workers Party members, and because Turkey would intervene inside the Syrian Opposition to diminish Kurds' role, (probably afraid of eventual developments similar to that of Iraq, where Kurds administrate alone an Oil/gas rich region). Additional data from other International Media reported that Syrian dissidents booed Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, during a recent visit to Egypt, asking him what really happened to Harmoush, but without getting any answer from Erdogan..
(../..)
+ Moreover, in general, "Access to Asylum procedure is a Thorny issue" in Turkey, critically obsereves CoE's Report.
- "Members of the (competent CoE's) Committee had to raise this Question several Times (to the Turkish Authorities), before obtaining any Answers, which were ... Unsatisfactory in any case", it denounces.
- Probably because of the fact that "Turkey is the only CoE's member State to have maintained a GeoGraphical Limitation concerning the application of the 1951 (International) Convention relating to the Status of Refugees", according to which, all "Persons coming from Outside of Europe canNot be recognized as Refugees by Turkey" ! Therefore, even its neighbours, "Syrians, canNot be considered to ve Refugees in Turkey".
=> CoE's "Parliamentary Assembly has frequently called upon Turkey to Lift this Limitation, which Blocks Access to International Protection", the Report reveals.
- Therefore, "Turkey should lift, asap, its geographical Limitation on the 1951 (International) Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, that is preventing Non-Europeans from obtaining this Status", CoE's 2011 Report concludes.
+ Meanwhile, several Photographs from the International Press, have already shown that many Syrian oppenents, who had left their Homes, hesitated to enter Turkish Camps, prefering to stay at a free and open, countryside area, probably given the Lack of due Legal Protection (see supra) and the fact that Turkish Camps close Refugees, packed in Promiscuity at a narrow area, surrounded by Barbed Wires and/or other blockades, and heavily guarded by Turkish Army patrols, hindering free movement and contacts. (See supra + PHOTOS).
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=> CoE's Resolution
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For these, and more reasons, CoE's Assembly endorsed and published its Migration, Refugees and Population Committee's delegation's (representing all CoE's political Groups) Resolution on "Syrian Refugees on the Turkish borders", which, inter alia, "calls on the Turkish Authorities", mainly, "to" :
- "grant International Organizations and NGOs .. regular Access in Refugee Camps, in the province of Hatay, in the interests of Transparecy, and (to) allow the Media to have Contact with the Refugees".
- "provide Refugees with adequate Information on their Rights, and guarantee them Access to International Protection and Asylum procedures, .. in close cooperation with the UNHCR".
- "'offer ... Freedom of Movement" to Syrian Refugees "who cannot, or do not wish to, return to Syria".
- "maintain .... the Borders open", while, on the contrary, it's enough to have a look at a Map of the area in order to see that Turkey apparently has some openings only at a comparatively small area in the West, near the Sea, while apparently still keeping closed, without any Refugee camp, its longer borders separating the Kurdish regions of Syria from the Kurdish population regions in Turkey, at the Eastern side.
(../..)
(NDLR : "DraftNews", as already sent earlier to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate and complete, Final Version may be published asap).
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Sarkozy and Merkel : June 2009 solution to May 2005 "NO" ?
- Will French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angie Merkel live up from June 2009 to their obvious Historic European mission to revitalize, and re-launch the "European Dream", after the series of 3 "NO" since May 2005 in France, the Netherlands and Ireland, by renewing, and changing the EU with fresh stimulus, big horizons, and values attractive for EU Citizens ?
Whatever views anyone might have, it's a Fact that, recently, EU's political spectrum didn't produce other more charismatic and popular EU leaders than Merkel and Sarkozy, starting from September 2005 and May 2007, respectively.
This trend was confirmed, in one way or another, both during the German EU presidency in 2007 (shared by Merkel with the SPD), and mainly during the French EU Presidency in 2008, (with Sarkozy "free" to move).
The positive 2009 EU Polls are a natural consequence :
- Both with 72% Sarkozy and Merkel are considered by EU Citizens to be "the most Influential" leaders in Europe, by far.
- They are the only EU political leaders to attract a Majority of "Positive" views by EU Citizens, (Merkel over 60%, Sarkozy over 50%, particularly in the continent).
- 60% of EU Citizens find the 2008 French EU Presidency "Good", (and the satisfaction grows up to 67,5% in continental Europe).
The Poll was made by "OpinionWay" in big EU countries as Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, (with the only exception of France), from 26 to 28 May 2009.
But the most important is that both Franco-German leaders seem willing to, at last, really start serious business on EU's indispensable renovation and Renaissance from 2009 : Year of crucial EU and German Elections.
Therefore, this time, the joint European move by Sarkozy and Merkel, which just published a common Franco-German Manifesto, aims to stimulate aspirations and action not only in their respective countries, but also in many other EU "partners", as they say.
Both on EU economy, social values and scientifico-technologic research, as well as on Turkey's controversial EU bid, obviously incompatible with a popular Political Europe, whose Citizens can find a collective Identity and popular Values, they have already started to magnetize various growing voices accross the European landscape :
"Today, more than ever, it' time for action", they stress from the outset.
Facing "an unprecedented Global financial and economic Crisis", "Europeans must get resolutely involved if they want for the World which is being built to meet their Values of Liberty, Solidarity and Justice".
"That's what we want" and "propose to our Partners" :
* "A strong Europe, able to protect us" :
- "We refuse a Bureaucratic EU, which mecanically applies burdensome rules and is afraid of change. We want a European Union which listens what Citizens have to say, which innovates, stimulates".
- "We want a strong and united EU in the World, while also respecting its Member States' Diversity", which "brings Courageous Replies to the Questions of our Times, ensuring our Prosperity :
This implies to "favor Research and Innovation", "Economic Coordination", to "develop real Policies on Immigrationn, Energy, Defence, and modernise common policies, particularly Agriculture".
* "EU must bring immediate replies to the Global Crisis".
- "Lawless liberalism failed". "The Model we want is that of a Responsible Market Economy, which favors Enterpreneurs and Workers, above Speculators ; Long-term Investment, over immediate profiits".
- "We appeal upon the EU to take, from June, the first decisions to ensure a real European Regulation of Financial Markets, based on coordination and cooperation". "On speculative funds, on fiscal heavens, CEO's and financial operators' earnings, EU must give the example".
- "We call to change the rules of accounts, which are important for our Economy's revival : The competent normative authorities must take action". "The issue of a sufficient Credit offer is of central importance for our Economy". "We don't accept that, during this Financial Crisis, the European Banks' capacity to lend money might be unjustly reduced by Capital's requirements and accountant's rules
* "During the German and French Presidencies, EU has resoçlutely prepared itself for the fight against Global Warming... EU is the 1st and only area in the World to have adopted a package of ambitious and legally binding rules to comply with International Aims"
- "We have now to convince our Friends and Partners, to get involved, in order to atteint, next December at Copenhagen, a Global Agreement worthy of whay is at stake. Our closer ally, the US, but also other big industrial countries, must commit themselves with the same force as the Europeans".
"Green Growth is a Chance ... and an opportunity to create jobs turned towards the Future. Europe must be a leader".
- But, at the same time, we must ensure that our companies remain competitive in the World. The ambitious European involvements on Climat must not lead into a position where EU industry might become a Victim of Unfair Competition. Climat protection and Competitvity must go together. If our International partners refuse to associate themselves to our efforts, we are determined to take measures to protect European Industry"
* "Europe must be more ambitious for its Industry" : "It must favor the emergence of strong European enterprises at a Global level".
- "As long as an International mechanism" to "monitor Public Aids at WTO level, and hinder 3rd Countries to give abusive subsidies to their enterprises, provoking unfair competition", is "not yet set up, we must consider Transitory European Solutions".
* "The current Public Debt is too heavy... We must head anew towards sound public finance, as soon as we'd have passed the crucial stage in this crisis".
-------------------------------------------------
* Last, but not least : "Europe must play a top-level role in the World"
- "For that purpose, it needs efficient Institutions. That's why we need Lisbon Treaty". "The 27 Member States decided, last December (2008) that the Treaty should enter into force before the end of this year (2009)". To obtain that, June EU Council must agree "on the Guarantees for Ireland".
- But, "to be able to act, EU needs Borders. An Enlargment without Limits is not possible", Sarkozy and Merkel stressed in an obvious reference to Turkey, etc.
- "In order to be strong, Europe must assume its Values and its Identity". "Human Rights .. are at the basis of our commitment for a Peaceful Development accross the World".
- "For that purpose, we shall strengthen our common Defence and Security policy".
----------------------
* "We are ready to contribute to activate the EU towards the realisation of these aims, with our EU Partners".
"In order to succeed", Europe "needs the active involvment of all, starting by Citizens themselves. That's why the June 7 rendez-vous is important", and "we are calling all Europeans to vote".
"We are convinced that, if Europe wants, Europe can", they conclude.
-----------------------
Precisely : - What can better forge "Europe's Will" than a "European Consciousness" emerging from political, democratic struggles to face Global Challenges, and open big New Horizons, including by crystal-clear Public Debates, with active EU Citizens' involvement, before the most important EU Decisions affecting People's lives ?
Precisely what "EuroFora"s project warns since 1997-2007, and unprecedented Majority Abstentions, since 1999-2004, added to 3 "NO" to EU Referenda in 2005 and 2007, proved meanwhile..
Let's hope that the Time wasted by some scandalous anti-European and anti-Democratic obstacles of the Past, will stimulate faster, simplified but substantial and persistent, efficient action.-
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