CAIRO: “I would like to express my deepest gratitude at the generous policy of Egyptian government and generous attitude of Egyptian people who welcomed all people fleeing Libya by opening the borders,” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said.
Speaking at a Cairo conference concluding his two-day visit to Egypt, Guterres added, “Opening borders is the most precious contribution for refugee protection …particularly relevant in a moment when Egypt [is embarking on] a democratic transition with enormous economic and social challenges.”
Guterres, who described his visit as a new beginning in relations, met with Prime Minister Essam Sharaf as well as the ministers of interior affairs, foreign affairs and social solidarity.
“I felt a humanistic vision, a human rights vision and refugee protection is an essential part of a democratic state,” he said.
Also attending the meetings was ambassador Hisham Badr, Egypt’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva and Chair of the UNHCR Executive Committee.
On Libya, Guterres said most of the coverage has been of the military and political situation, with little coverage of the drastic humanitarian crisis in the country.
“Four-hundred thousand have crossed the borders into Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and other neighboring countries [but] a lot more are trapped in areas of conflict in a desperate situation,” he said.
“It is essential that humanitarian access is given to all those in need in order to rescue lives,” Guterres emphasized.
UNHCR is working with the government at the borders on an ongoing wide-scale evacuation program, he said, and have evacuated more than 70,000 people in the last three weeks.
“I’m optimistic by this visit, as I’m sure that refugee protection will be a cornerstone of new Egyptian democracy,” he added.
Human rights are at the center of the Egyptian government’s policies, he said, adding that the prime minister emphasized that their focus is on “freedom, democracy and economic and social justice.”
“We have agreed with [the Egyptian government] that in 2011, we will double the number of refugees resettled in Egypt,” he said.
Guterres explained that the refugees coming into Egypt from Libya fall into two groups. First, there are the Libyans, around 25,000, which the government has granted total freedom of movement.
There are also 301 refugees, currently in Salloum from Iraq, Eritrea and Somalia and are not in a condition to go back to their home countries. The UNHCR has established a refugee resettlement program and will support refugee assistance programs in Egypt.
The cost of relief operations on the Egypt-Libya borders cannot be calculated due to the numerous entities involved, however, Guterres said that the UNHCR alone has so far spent $18 million on airfare to transport people from Libya to Tunisia and Egypt.
Guterres said he wished “the international community would express to the Egyptian government the same level of solidarity which they showed to the people fleeing the Libyan conflict.”
“As a citizen of the world, looking at what’s happening reminds me when I was 25 years old during the Carnation Revolution in Portugal. We came out of a dictatorship and were able to have a democratic regime with huge difficulties because of the expectations of the people.
“International solidarity was very important to the success of the Portuguese Revolution. International solidarity will be expressed with Egypt, democracy is not only important to Egypt alone but for the region and the world.”
