Posted on 03/19/2016 3:50:50 PM PDT by Lorianne
The EU and Turkey on Thursday night hardened their positions over the EU’s latest migration plan, leaving many disputes still to be resolved on a big-bang proposal to systematically turn back migrants reaching Greek islands.
EU leaders agreed a negotiating position that further diverged from Ankara’s demands, setting the stage for a clash on Friday over key legal, practical and political elements of the package. These include Turkey’s refusal to apply full international standards on refugees, a Cypriot veto on opening parts of Ankara’s EU-membership talks, and Greece’s demands for thousands more staff to implement the plan. Differences also remain on the EU side over promises to accept Syrian migrants directly from Turkey to compensate for those turned back from Greek islands.
Ankara is resisting any such formal legal changes, which EU officials fear would blow a hole in the legal basis for the deal. Ms Merkel said there were “certain legal prerequisites” needed to ensure migrants would be treated humanely in Turkey.
Also sensitive are Ankara’s demands that Cyprus lifts a freeze on several “chapters” in its EU membership talks, a concession Nicosia is unwilling to make without Turkey recognising its government. While the issue touches on 40 years of enmity and has the potential to flare up, diplomats are discussing various compromises to work around the Cypriot block. Mr Hollande said leaders were “careful not to name the [specific] chapters”.
On the practical front, Greece also requested 4,000 extra staff — including 2,500 from other EU countries — to help it man borders and detain and handle an estimated 10,000 arrivals per week, who must be processed individually according to the terms of the deal.
(Excerpt) Read more at ft.com ...
10,000 refugees a week.
If we want to see Europe before it disappears we’d better hurry.
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Europe is damned if they do and damned if they don’t. The Turks want to Islamize Europe or destroy it trying. At this point they’ll take the cash. Then send the terrorists they promised to keep out as part of the deal.
And the extortion amount was .......................?
Actually, the “deal” is that for every mushole that is stopped by turkey, another one gets to cross into Europe. There’s no win here for Europe.
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