The Greek government is proving itself incapable of implementing an emergency contingency plan to handle the migrant-refugee crisis and its attitude so far does not inspire confidence, main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday, after a meeting of the ND crisis management team on the refugee problem.
He called on the government to immediately mobilise the entire state mechanism, including the armed forces, in order to provide the essential basic facilities for the refugees and migrants arriving in the country, such as food, sanitation and medical care. It should also prepare, within a week’s time, the necessary supervised open but also closed temporary housing facilities, properly distributed throughout the country, Mitsotakis added.
Thirdly, he urged better coordination between state services and local authorities in handling the crisis, action to ensure that the NATO force deployed in the Aegean did the job for which it was created in deterring people traffickers and an effective use of existing European funds, as well as asking for additional emergency funds to deal with the humanitarian crisis.
Lastly, ND’s leader called on the government to immediately launch initiatives to improve the country’s image abroad and support the country’s tourism product.
Given the current conditions, convening a meeting of the political party leaders was imperative, Mitsotakis said, while the circumstances called for seriousness and responsibility, not “rushed and unilateral choices that will deepen the country’s isolation and further damage its credibility.”
“The memory is still fresh, in any case, of the tragic negotiations of last summer. We will not permit further, devastating mistakes,” he said.
(source: ana-mpa)
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