Should Turkey Re-Open Its Border To Syrian Refugees?

[ichkeria]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/syrian-refugees-turkey-open-border-160209131028173.html

(one of many links)

As background, Aleppo, Syria's main city, currently being carpet bombed, is almost surrounded and has now only one safe route in and out. The population has shrunk drastically but over a quarter of a million people still live there. About 10% only of the Christian community of 200,000 remains.
Thousands of civilians now trapped outside the borer with Turkey, with the Turks only allowing the seriously ill and injured through.

I wonder if anyone saw Mail journo Peter Oborne (just back from Aleppo) on Newsnight last night. I am sure he is a lovely man, but he did seem to be regarding the whole thing as some sort of jolly wheeze. maybe it was just his accent and the fact that he looks like the housemaster of a minor public school :-)

[mikey4444]

What the Butcher of Damascus is doing to his own people in Aleppo is terrible and completely unacceptable.

What are the innocent inhabitants of this ancient city supposed to do ?

Wait and get slaughtered ?

[Old_Geezer]

I'd say as long at Turkey can keep them in camps by the border and not allow them to wander across Turkey towards other countries, thus changing their status from 'refugees' to 'economic migrants', then the rules normal are one is allowed to flee to the next safe country. I don't rates the chances of them being able to ensure that though so I'm not 100% sure it the right answer. Indeed I'm unsure allowing them to wander elsewhere wouldn't be seen as a relief in Turkey. Maybe it's the borders from Turkey to elsewhere that needs to be made secure.

[Old_Geezer]

normally
as typed >:-(

[Baldric]

Only if Turkey can contain them within its own Borders and not inflict them on other Countries, it is afterall the First Safe Country for them.

[agchristie]

Will read the link later. First thoughts that it is a very difficult situation i.e damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Easy answer for UKIP'ers!

[ichkeria]

Perhaps it's worth explaining why Turkey has closed its border: it's because they reckon they are at saturation point, with 2 million plus refugees already in the country. So now they want money from the EU to help cope. And there has been some tough negotiations going on, with - allegedly - a few months ago, the Turks threatening to bus refugees on over the next border if more help was not forthcoming. Bit naughty, but you can sort of see where they are coming from.
The Turkish prime minister has said that they'll have to open the border at some point, as the situation on the other side will plainly become even more desperate. As it is, the city risks becoming a larger version of Benghazi as it was just before the intervention of the coalition against Gaddafi.

[agchristie]

Turkey definitely needs further help, support and guidance. It is not simply their problem and on their conscience. What would the UK do if it was on their doorstep?

[mikey4444]

agchristie...it would depend on who you asked...some people in Britain would have pushed these people back into the sea !

Syria is above all else a humanitarian crisis, and its about time the international community stopped faffing about and did something positive, instead of keep blaming each other.

It is estimated that there may be many 10,000's of unaccompanied children in Europe, all of the extremely vulnerable. I wonder if this is what it was like post summer 1945 ?

[agchristie]

Mikey, it's all an absolute mess. It's way out of control with so many countries leaders operating like headless chickens....

[mikey4444]

agchristie.......If my memory serves me correctly, it was why the UNHCR was formed in the post war years. Its about time the UN started showing some muscle here.

The abandonment of all those children is a ruddy disgrace !

[-Talbot-]

"Come to Germany" has cost the lives of many who would never have considered it until the invite.

[agchristie]

It's astonishing and getting far worse daily. What a dilemma for the Turkish authorities.

[ichkeria]

There is actually a UN resolution calling on all sides to stop bombing civilians.

I'm afraid it's a bit of a chocolate teapot of a resolution. The fighting will only stop when it is in the interests of one or more parties to do so.
Many of the people in Aleppo are actually refugees from other parts of Syria - notably IS controlled areas.

Amazingly (as a slight aside) a daily coach service runs from Beirut to Raqqa - the driver takes a bottle of cologne on board to cover the smell of cigarette smoke to fool the IS border guards ...
Amazing how life goes on in the chaos ...

[youngmafbog]

No, camps need to be setup on the Syrian border.

When the Syrians sort out their civil war they can all go back and rebuild their lives.

[agchristie]

> Spindler said that his agency acknowledges the fact that Turkey is already hosting 2.5 million refugees, which has inflicted a "huge strain" on the country's economy, and called on the international community to assist Ankara in handling the burgeoning crisis.

"This is clearly an international crisis and we all have an obligation to assist," he said.

Right, so stating the obvious out of the way, the answer is.....er, nobody seems to know....

[Old_Geezer]

It is fine to ask the whole world to chip in to help fund the camps. Hardly Turkey's fault the problem exists. But that isn't an EU issue, but an issue for all the world's nations.

[agchristie]

> But that isn't an EU issue, but an issue for all the world's nations

Yes, OG. However, it does seem to be a domino effect of 'after you sir'.

[Old_Geezer]

Bussing refugees on over the next border is hardly going to help Turkey convince the EU to allow them to replace the UK, when we exit. Not a wise threat.

[Old_Geezer]

I understand that we have a budget for overseas aid. I'm sure we could ensure some is allocate to this if you want to start the ball rolling. Make a big fuss about UK generosity and see other want to prove they are more generous. But ensure it goes on the right things.