Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawaris offers to 'buy island' in Mediterranean to help refugees

Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawaris offers to 'buy island' in Mediterranean to help refugees

An Egyptian billionaire says he has considered buying an island in the Mediterranean to help house refugees fleeing conflict and instability.

Naguib Sawiris tweeted his “crazy idea” earlier this week, offering to purchase one of the empty islands that cluster off the coasts of Italy and Greece.

When asked if his idea could actually work, Mr Sawiris said: “Of course it's feasible."

"You have dozens of islands which are deserted and could accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees."

Mr Sawiris, who has an estimated net worth of $2.9billion, said although the idea could be problematic, something needed to be done to help the tens of thousands of people attempting to reach Europe in search of a better life.

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"The way they are being treated now, they are being treated like cattle," he claimed to AFP.

The billionaire’s company Orascom TMT, which operates mobile networks across some African and Middle Eastern nations, is Egypt’s largest employer.

More than 2,000 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year. Earlier this month, a photograph of three-year-old Syrian Aylan Kurdi dead on a beach in Turkey prompted a huge outburst of public support for a change to the EU’s current policy.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/egyptian-billionaire-naguib-sawaris-offers-to-buy-island-in-mediterranean-to-help-refugees-10486139.html

Comment - Extract Facebook 6/9/15
You there Sir - the idea is not new, then Mrs Thatcher's government, the Vietnamese, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Latin American, Seychellois, Illois and many others, form Africa - the Idea we use one of the BIOT Island to start an International community/project - what happened and what took place. When one works in the sector of NGO/Voluntary - Grass Root - Refugee/Exile, like Nurse/doctors, fireman and police - it is difficult to have a Day like/as Sabbath those in Seychelles and many Friends who will conclude it/this is Sabbath and Jewish friends. The call and need to be alert and on one guard - by the way what for, the dogs and cats. . The Person above vision - with that kind of Money, connections and knowledge he ought to know that SIROP program well, from the White House, Moscow, Begin, Paris - when we write that program was far more complicated that so far reported - we are talking of Management at global level of refugee/exile issues and Migration - the many important actors in the world. This person ought to know, the Cold War political situation in Egypt - my person have worked with two of their Head of State and others in the Region. An important aspect of that SIROP program was not just change Seychelles political and economic environment - as president JA Michel would say other components, meaning other nations and regional workings - the objective change among other issues, the autocratic system which had prevailed in North Africa some 25 years of hard work - it had changed, then they become very/utterly corrupted and the people wanted and end. Those North African countries, their religion/culture call for a different Democratic approach working of their politic and economy - all those involved knowing the mindset, the thinking. Egypt had played a crucial role in the equation to build that Trans Morocco/Spain link - the quality of their politic and economy - those in EU and UN well aware. Had the mega bust up not taken place we would not be where w are today - it is people like him they knew and have know my person, capacity/impute their approach - what would it have taken when we write via their Embassy and others help is relocate our workings base to mainland Europe at the most it would coast £25/50,000 - Everyday we keep getting promise from FA Rene and company they will/prepared to pay me something, the money never comes forward - my person have generated £billions for them and others, we are owned hundred of millions dollars, those who invented reason for not paying and letting my persons access our money - not one have said thank you. We are left with our responsibilities in the hand of those in London who are hell bent on manipulating our person and those responsibilities and their media - then what ensues. We will go public - we wrote to the ex wife of Aristotle Onassis - I helped with the marriage and managed many other important issues to help with the Greece situation - their reaction and attitude. Thank God/Lord their exist other instruments and mechanism which we can use and apply even after such hard work and those who turn their backs - we have the capacity to teach then lessons, bring then to reasons and make them account. One of he son of the Earl of Oxford was the British Ambassador to Egypt and the why's.

Live-Ticker: Hunderte Flüchtlinge brechen zu weiterem Marsch nach Wien auf
We went back to Vienna after 25 years in 2014 for a special reason, to meet up with my grand children, meet old friends/acquaintance and redrive/rebuild that SIROP program form Vienna - that EU/Russian - Ukrainian bust up was not even on the agenda. The mega Euro 315 billions Budget had not even been thought of. Particularly those from the Adventist church in Vienna - their great christian supposed principal. Those who judge thought we had come only for "nickers and bras".

Those we managed to meet and talk and explained the situation - in that Vienna the era of Chancellor Kreisky and the current generation, the mega Bank Adria debacle - our own former lawyers Withoff and Stern. NO those who are just content under the new Bench mark to cream off, manipulate and rip as much benefits for that past SIROP program - yet we had judge the Austrian people a bit/somewhat wiser. All those we have been in touch and they know our capacity.

Last year we were unofficially urged by the New Europe Team to come to Strasbourg and help - the conclusion the mega Euro Budget Euro 215 billions. We kept pressing everybody saying there was a great deal at stake.

Had Vienna and Strasbourg responded to our request and they were vastly modest compared to the total madness - the article on their TV, images those friends and acquaintances. We would not have had that Ukrainian mega bust up and now the massive refugee situation. Those who will argue/conclude i am utterly mad our of order - you who dare say this research what were the criteria and Powers involved in putting that SIROP program together and as such those who can/have and trained to manage such issues.

World , friends and people excuse us - their are limits to what society can democratically contribute and those specially trained who are/will be compelled to take what may be judge undemocratic action/decisions - I/we could have taken those action single handed as we have done i the past - because we have filled the coffers of so many, helped so many become so arrogant we decided to refrain and look at where were are.

I just trust my grand children will be taken to buy an ice cream and ask their parents who are those strangers and where do they come from/why are they here. . Unless something is done/undertaken by those of you with still some brain left - worse is yet to come.
http://diepresse.com/…/LiveTicker_Hunderte-Fluchtlinge-brec…

Letter to the Editor - Need to ‘move on’

07-September-2015
Over recent weeks there have been several articles in the local press on the subject of reconciliation and unity with some putting into queston, against the background of various abuses of human rights which prevailed under the dictatorship of the Second Republic, my decision to adopt a policy of national reconciliation when I returned to Seychelles after 15 years of exile.
I have said time and again that my motivation for adopting the policy of national reconciliation was based on my conviction that considering all the circumstances of Seychelles, I could play a more useful and meaningful role for Seychelles by graduating into a national/international statesman rather than remaining a mere political party leader. Of course, I always knew that those who were bent towards a policy of vengeance and recrimination would not understand that standpoint. There is a possibility that some people suffered more than I did as a result of the coup d’état of June 5, 1977. For this they have my full sympathy.
However, where Nichole Tirant’s column in the TODAY newspaper is entitled ‘Nichole’s take on …’, if I had a column in that paper it would have been styled ‘JRM – Let’s move on’. The need to move on is clear against the background of contemporary reality which sometimes projects the fact that justice has to be overlooked in the national interest.
In this context perhaps I should bring up political developments and the human rights abuse question which have taken place over recent times in our neighbourly country Kenya. During the course and furtherance of a pre-election campaign there was a political uprising in Kenya which resulted in the killing of several citizens. This created an outcry not only internally and regionally, but also internationally with the result that a high-level Commission of Enquiry was instituted and which finally accused the leader of the ruling party, Uhuru Kenyatta, and some of his associates, of committing a crime against humanity, justifying a charge to that effect and a summon for him to appear before the International Court of Justice. While this process was pending, Kenya went for a presidential election throughout which the subject of the charges levelled against Kenyatta was the predominating subject of the election campaign. It was clear at that time that the US government was very supportive of the stand of the criminal court of justice that President Kenyatta should go to The Hague in the Netherlands to answer to the charges against him. Despite this, Kenyatta finally got elected by a majority of the people of Kenya.
Following the election, the US government had to face the reality that if it failed to engage and deal with the new government of Kenya, then Kenya would fall more and more under the influence of China. Of course this would certainly not be in the US national interest as China has become so much engaged in that country over recent times. Thus we saw a revision of the US position once it realised that it was not in its interest to run away from Kenya’s reality. In consequence what did we see? President Barack Obama in no time, despite the justice and human rights issue, accepting the invitation of President Kenyatta to pay an official visit to Kenya to promote closer ties between the two nations. This event of course only recently made headline news which we all followed.
I believe that in the light of this story, the people of Seychelles will better understand why, in the circumstances of our own reality, I support President James Michel’s policy of ‘Let’s move on’.

James R. Mancham

Seychelles Nation