Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-04-01

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Nadia Murad Basee Taha visits refugees in Greece

[02] The Europeans are looking forward to the completion of the Greek review, says SYRIZA MEP Papadimoulis

[03] 52,046 refugees and migrants in Greece on Friday

[01] Nadia Murad Basee Taha visits refugees in Greece

Yazidi rights' activist is paying a visit to Athens these days in order to stand by the refugees.

Murad met with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras earlier on Friday and discussed issues related to the refugee crisis. She also sent a message to refugees at Idomeni to "accept to be transferred at accommodation centres in order to be safe as the borders will likely remain closed."

In statements to ANA-MPA, she said that she asked the Greek prime minister to create accommodation centres for all the refugees. "I am aware of the difficult situation in Greece and the fact that Greeks are really helpful. The refugees have rather hard times at Idomeni and the port of Piraeus. When they are transferred to accommodation centres, we can ask for more support and assistance from the international organizations," she added.

Murad will visit accommodation centres to see the conditions and discuss with refugees. "When these people are safe at hospitality centres, I will go to Germany and other countries to ask for their relocation," she underlined.

After the borders closed, a lot of migrants have been stranded in Greece, she said adding that she wants to become "their voice." She estimated that the opening of all borders is probably not possible open after the terror attacks in Brussels and Paris. However, she stressed the importance of a plan that will offer refugees that want to survive from the war, the death and terrorism the opportunity to apply for asylum and allow them to be relocated.

"There must be provisions for people that have no alternative. It is not that they seek a better life, but they have no other solution," she stated.

Nadia Murad Basee Taha was abducted from her village last August, she was used as a sex slave and raped until she managed to escape and go to Germany. More than 3,000 Yazidi women and children remain prisoners of jihadists, according to estimates.

[02] The Europeans are looking forward to the completion of the Greek review, says SYRIZA MEP Papadimoulis

Papadimoulis underlined that Greece's lenders want to reach an agreement ahead of the IMF spring meeting on April 15 and before the Eurogroup meeting scheduled for April 22. He appeared optimistic that the IMF will possibly give in and offer a vote of confidence because, as he said, Greece bears the whole burden of the refugee crisis.

"The IMF has not changed its view, but it will probably give a vote of confidence provided that Greece is bearing the burden of the refugee crisis," he noted and accused German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble that he "wants the IMF to be in the 'cockpit' of the third Greek programme, but does not want the IMF's view on the relief of the Greek debt."

The Greek eurodeputy estimated that Friday's Eurogroup teleconference with the participation of the IMF will give the signal in order the review to enter the final stretch.

"The Europeans want the review to be completed because they are facing a combination of problems, a multi-crisis, economic stagnation and small growth rates, the refugees issue, terrorism and the British referendum," he underlined and noted that a possible failure of the Greek review will "fuel the 'no' in the British ballots and this is something the European leadership does not want."

[03] 52,046 refugees and migrants in Greece on Friday

According to the Refugee Crisis Management Coordination Body's figures, 28,813 of the refugees are in northern Greece, 11,318 of them are in Idomeni, 14,608 are in the region of Attica (5,377 are at Piraeus port), 5,720 on the northeastern Greek islands and 2,905 are hosted in different areas in Central Greece.

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