NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 25: U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the UN General Assembly meeting on September 25, 2012 in New York City. The annual event gathers more than 100 heads of state and government for high level meetings on nuclear safety, regional conflicts, health and nutrition and environment issues. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Originally appeared at DWN, translated by Karin exclusively for SouthFront
US President Obama has praised Angela Merkel’s commitment to refugees in front of the UN. He did not mention the fact that the movement of refugees is a direct consequence of the geopolitical interests of the West and the Gulf States.
US President Barack Obama thanked Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) for her commitment in the Syrian refugee crisis. “I want to personally thank Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau (Canada) and the peoples of these two countries,” Obama said at the beginning of the Refugee Summit in New York on Tuesday (local time) that was organized by the USA. Both countries have given their outermost to assist refugees and to support them. Sweden, Jordan and Mexico have done a lot as well. According to UN figures, they are expected to take up to 400,000 refugees this year, mainly from Central and South America.
The USA will take this year 10,000 refugees and will fulfill its quota, as the IOM informs.
Like the fight against Nazi Germany, it will have serious consequences if the world community won’t tackle the refugee crisis hand in hand, said Obama. “History will judge us very harsh if we do not take notice of this moment.” Refugees should not be seen as a burden but could enrich their respective host countries and make it stronger. The United States was also once constructed from refugees and migrants. “This summit has to be the beginning of a new global movement,” Obama said.
The alternative – namely to give the displaced from the global struggle for resources and the machinations of corrupt elites a fair chance in their home country – has not been outlined as a vision for the future.
Furthermore, Obama naturally didn’t speak about the fact that the massive movement of refugees from the Middle East is a direct result of the wars brought by the West and the Gulf States. He also didn’t speak of, that the expulsion of the Syrian service providers and able-bodied men will cause a massive destabilization of Syria. The energy interests, which are the reason for the destruction of the structures in Iraq, Libya and Syria, found also no mentioning.
Participating countries pledged at the summit to engage more for refugees – with money, accommodation, access to employment and educational opportunities. Overall, the participating countries have, according to information provided by the White House, already spent this year more than 4.5 billion more than last year. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi spoke of a “historic moment for Italy and Europe.”
“We have provided all contributions,” said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), who represented co-host Germany at the summit. “But I believe that we cannot allow us to stop here. We must finally move forward to tackle the crisis. This is the moral and political task of each one of us. ”
Steinmeier also did not speak of the moral and political responsibility to end the war in Syria immediately and to stop the support of the international mercenary squads, neither was the lifting of sanctions against Syria, which have driven the country into economic disaster, an issue at the summit.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who acted as co-host as well, stressed the compassion of states and governments. “Your compassion will help these helpless people. If not us, who else can do it? ”
Moon did not speak about how the UN could help the Syrian population directly, by a demanding an end of the sanctions.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II stressed, that his country had already been planning around a quarter of the budget to spend in connection with the refugee issues. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country has received about three million refugees, according to him, criticized again the way the international community and especially the European Union dealt with the refugee crisis. They showed a “poor attitude” on their parts and did not fulfill their promises to Turkey. “Since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, Turkey has been left alone.” Still, Turkey has left its borders open to refugees and will continue to do so.
Erdogan did not mention the planned military offensive in Syria, which could lead to a division of the country, including new displacements.
The refugee summit on the margins of the UN General Assembly was organized by the United States. UN Secretary General Ban, Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, Jordan, Mexico and Sweden acted as co-hosts. On Monday UN Secretary General Ban had already invited before the start of the general debate at a UN summit on the subject of flight and migration.