Nato deploys 'without delay' to Aegean to stop people-smugglers

[webfact]

Nato deploys 'without delay' to Aegean to stop people-smugglers
By Peter Foster, Europe Editor, Richard Spencer,
Middle East editor and Colin Freeman

Alliance acts amid mounting tension with Turkey over Syrian refugee crisis

LONDON: -- Nato is sending a naval flotilla “without delay” to help stop people smugglers in the Aegean Sea, following a request from Germany, Greece and Turkey, the alliance’s chief said on Thursday.

Jens Stoltenberg told a press conference that Nato was directing the “standing maritime group to move into the Aegean without delay and start maritime surveillance activities” after alliance defence ministers backed the move.

The move came as Turkey warned it was unable to cope following the latest upsurge in migrants streaming from Aleppo following days of bombardment by Russian warplanes in support of forces loyal to the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/12151919/Nato-deploys-without-delay-to-Aegean-to-stop-people-smugglers.html

-- The Telegraph 2016-02-12

[webfact]

NATO orders warships into Aegean to help ease migrant crisis
JOHN-THOR DAHLBURG, Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — In a dramatic response to Europe's gravest refugee crisis since World War II, NATO ordered three warships to sail immediately Thursday to the Aegean Sea to help end the deadly smuggling of asylum-seekers across the waters from Turkey to Greece.

"This is about helping Greece, Turkey and the European Union with stemming the flow of migrants and refugees and coping with a very demanding situation ... a human tragedy," said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Yet even after the ships were told to get underway, NATO officials acknowledged uncertainties about the precise actions they would be performing — including whether they would take part in operations to rescue drowning migrants.

The arrival of more than a million people in Europe in 2015 — mostly Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans — has plunged the 28-nation European Union into what some see as the most serious crisis in its history.

Despite winter weather, the onslaught of refugees crossing the Aegean has not let up. The International Organization for Migration said this week that 76,000 people — nearly 2,000 per day — have reached Europe by sea this year and 409 of them have died trying, most drowning in the cold, rough waters.

The number of arrivals in the first six weeks of 2016 is nearly 10 times as many as the same period last year. Most come from Turkey to Greece and then try to head north through the Balkans to the EU's more prosperous countries such as Germany and Sweden.

The decision Thursday by NATO defense ministers in Brussels came in response to a joint request by three members — Turkey, Germany and Greece — for alliance participation in an international effort targeting the smugglers.

"This is not about stopping or pushing back refugee boats," Stoltenberg stressed at a news conference. "NATO will contribute critical information and surveillance to help counter human trafficking and criminal networks."

In a related effort, the military alliance will also step up its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities on the Turkish-Syrian border, Stoltenberg said.

The vessels of NATO Standing Maritime Group 2 "will start to move now" on orders from U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's top commander in Europe, Stoltenberg said.

Breedlove said the ships should be at their Aegean destinations by Friday. NATO's website says the flotilla is composed of a German navy flagship, the Bonn, and two other ships, the Barbaros from Turkey and the Fredericton from Canada.

"(Until now) NATO has been mainly focused on how we can address the root causes, to try to stabilize the countries where many of the refugees are coming from," Stoltenberg said, mentioning Afghanistan, Iraq, Tunisia and Jordan. "The new thing now is ... providing different kinds of military capabilities ... to provide direct help, direct support, to Turkish authorities, to Greek authorities, and to the European Union."

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, in Brussels for two days of discussions with his Canadian and European colleagues, said NATO military authorities will draw up plans for how the alliance might further throttle human smuggling operations across the Aegean.

"There is now a criminal syndicate, which is exploiting these poor people," Carter told a news conference. "Targeting that is the greatest way an effect could be had."

Stoltenberg said once the NATO brass makes its recommendations, the alliance will talk to the EU and decide how to proceed.

Breedlove said the mission specifics were still being written.

"This mission has literally come together in about the last 20 hours," Breedlove told journalists. "I have been tasked now to go back and define the mission, define the rules of engagement, define all of what we call special operation instructions — all of the things that will lay out what we are going to do."

He said it was too early to say whether the NATO crews will be rescuing migrants in sinking or non-seaworthy boats — something the Greek and Turkish coast guards have been doing nightly for months.

"I really can't talk to you about what is a core task and what is not ... we had some really rapid decision-making and now we've got to go out and do some military work," Breedlove said.

The NATO commander hailed the fast reaction to the joint request as an example of the streamlined decision-making the alliance has put into place since 2014.

Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, whose country has a fraught relationship with neighbor and NATO ally Turkey, said the agreement "will finally solve the issue of migration."

"Greece, until now, has paid too high a price — during a financial crisis — on migration, a price that is disproportionate relative to the other countries of Europe and NATO," Kammenos said. "It is perfectly clear from the joint declaration that the purpose of this force is to stop the criminal activities of those who traffic in human beings."

Kammenos said the presence of NATO forces along the Turkish coastline will "ensure that any migrants who are arrested will be sent straight back to Turkey." In a later stage, the Greek minister said, the EU's border agency, Frontex, could broaden its operations from Greek islands of the Aegean to the Turkish coast.

There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials.

An official with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization Doctors Without Borders, however, said the NATO and EU actions "miss the point."

"More than 300 men, women and children have drowned in the Aegean in their desperate attempts to reach Europe this year alone," said Aurelie Ponthieu, the group's humanitarian adviser. "In this context, NATO's involvement in the "surveillance of illegal crossings" is dangerously shortsighted. People will continue to risk their lives in search of safety and protection, no matter the obstacles that the EU - and now the leaders of the NATO alliance - put in their way."

"How many deaths will it take before Europe, Turkey and others focus their energy on providing humanitarian solutions rather than deterrence measures that clearly miss the point?" she asked.

A former British Navy officer gave a measured assessment of the NATO flotilla's impact.

Peter Roberts, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said "the ships will show where the people are moving to and from, but will provide no information about the criminal networks."

"That type of information requires presence on shore and investigative powers of police forces, not military ones," Roberts said.
___

Derek Gatopoulos in Athens and Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-02-12

[SgtRock]

This will turn into nothing more than an amphibious taxi service.

[jaidam]

This will turn into nothing more than an amphibious taxi service.

you need to pay for a taxi

[ezzra]

They're like, what? 2 years late? the horses have bolted long time ago and now they're trying to close

the barn's doors? that's NATO and the UN for you, utterly useless when you really need them....

[otherstuff1957]

They will take them back to Turkey? Really? I'll believe that when I see it.

The most likely effect of this action will be to send the migrants to Libya. Boats are not returned to there (no functioning government), and so migrants picked up there are taken directly to Italy.

[NeverSure]

My friends in Europe keep telling me that food and health care are "human rights." As that is the case, then they are obligated to let these humans in to eat and be cared for. There are only about 7 billion Humans in the world so it's likely to get a bit crowded there, but that's what happens when you are "inclusive" and "civilized" and "progressive" and care for your fellow man.

Just one question. Will the earth's rotation shift on its axis when 80% of the world's population moves into the EU? Just curious.

Cheers.

Edited February 12, 2016 by NeverSure

[SgtRock]

jaidam, on 12 Feb 2016 - 11:58, said:

SgtRock, on 12 Feb 2016 - 11:36, said:

This will turn into nothing more than an amphibious taxi service.

you need to pay for a taxi

Just like the BBC. It will be the taxpayer that pays the taxi bill

[cabanlit]

Simple question that has bothered me for a long time...................

Turkey is a fellow NATO member. Why can't NATO soldiers patrol the coastal ports and roads of mainland Turkey, and take out the people smugglers and boats before they even leave?

[Baerboxer]

Simple question that has bothered me for a long time...................

Turkey is a fellow NATO member. Why can't NATO soldiers patrol the coastal ports and roads of mainland Turkey, and take out the people smugglers and boats before they even leave?

Because the patrons of those people smugglers are very important Turkish people.

A great many ways Turkey wins from allowing those migrants through. Strategic, tactical and operational wins. And they ain't gonna let anyone spoil such a good earner.

[MJP]

My friends in Europe keep telling me that food and health care are "human rights." As that is the case, then they are obligated to let these humans in to eat and be cared for. There are only about 7 billion Humans in the world so it's likely to get a bit crowded there, but that's what happens when you are "inclusive" and "civilized" and "progressive" and care for your fellow man.

Just one question. Will the earth's rotation shift on its axis when 80% of the world's population moves into the EU? Just curious.

Cheers.

Gumballs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDceLiPLHWQ

Edited February 12, 2016 by MJP

[Saradoc1972]

If it is not about stopping or pushing back refugee boats, you might as well forget it. We know there are smugglers at work and we know they only ever catch the minnows and those will be replaced faster than they can get the old ones into custody.

What is needed here is stopping people from embarking in Turkey, and those caught traversing or rescued after slitting open their own dinghies need to be returned without exception. Only way this game of cat and mouse can be ended.

This Stoltenberg fellow btw happened to be the German minister of defense under Kohl in times of yore until he got kicked out over something wrong with tanks... getting axed is an occupational hazard for German MODs

[thaibeachlovers]

The OP seems to take a lot of words to say that they won't actually stop anyone from reaching Euroland, and as said will probably "rescue" everyone and deposit them in Greece. Given that the countries north of Greece are now preventing the "refugees" from crossing into their countries, it's going to get very crowded in Greece. Of course Merkel may save the day by taking the "refugees" by ship to Germany.

[daveAustin]

Too late, NATO!

[Stargeezr]

I hope that this new bunch of boats will intercept the dingies and boats enroute from

Libya and other North African places and just take the people back to Africa. Make it plain that

trying to pay to escape that country is finished, and is a waste of money. Europe as well as Greece and Turkey

do not need any more of migrants and refugees invading Europe. Maybe Germany and a few other countries in

Europe need new leaders.

My opinion on this subject

[Steely Dan]

If NATO member Turkey policed its own borders effectively then the other NATO members would not need to mount a maritime operation to stop people smugglers. Perhaps troops from other NATO nations could help the Turks police their own borders instead.

[SgtRock]

Steely Dan, on 13 Feb 2016 - 10:52, said:

If NATO member Turkey policed its own borders effectively then the other NATO members would not need to mount a maritime operation to stop people smugglers. Perhaps troops from other NATO nations could help the Turks police their own borders instead.

Neither are going to happen.

Too much money involved.

[connda]

Stop People Smuggling defined: "Stop individuals who wish to move from their economically depressed region to an country with an ample teat to suck on (think Germany, Sweden, socialist EU countries, etc)."

Well, kudos!!! Wish you success. Don't land in Greece. Not much of a teat left to suck on.

Edited February 15, 2016 by connda

[SgtRock]

The first amphibious taxi has arrived in Mytilene with 900 passengers.

About 900 migrants have been rescued near the Greek island of Lesbos, the EU border agency Frontex has said.

They were taken aboard a Bulgarian ship on patrol between Lesbos's port of Mytilene and the Turkish coast.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35609815

No women in the picture but they did manage the token child.