Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-11-30

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Greece and Italy must not be left to defend EU borders unaided, Austria's Kurz tells ANA

[02] Athens Observatory continuing Mars observation in collaboration with National Geographic

[01] Greece and Italy must not be left to defend EU borders unaided, Austria's Kurz tells ANA

"In my view, it is important to organise the protection of the EU's external borders jointly. We cannot leave Greece and Italy on their own here but every country must contribute financially and with human personnel to protect the external borders together," Kurz said.

He also raised concerns about excessive dependence on a "temperamental" Turkey, in the wake of Turkish threats to renege on the EU-Turkey agreement for refugee flows. Unless there was preparation in advance, Kurz warned, the consequences could be disastrous and he called for the urgent organisation of measures to protect external borders.

"I believe that Turkey is probably too unpredictable and, consequently, we should not rely on Turkey or we will be dangerously dependent on it," he said.

Kurz also outlined his ideas on handling refugee flows, noting that migrants making their way to Europe must be stopped at the external borders, "which are often islands, like Lesvos and Lampedusa."

"They must be cared for and then returned," he said; refugee flows would only slow if Europe made it clear that those arriving in the EU illegally had no chance of staying, he clarified. "Only then will there be fewer people coming to Europe, only then can we stop the deaths in the Mediterranean, only then can we deprive traffickers of the foundations of their business," he added.

"At the same time, we must extend on-site assistance and help these people in their countries of origin and this means enlisting all EU member-states. Greece and Italy must not be left to fend for themselves and Austria is willing to make a disproportionately high contribution, both in economic terms and in terms of human personnel," Kurz said.

This could either be organised via Frontex or through a new agency that would be set up to handle the issue, he added, noting that it would involve thousands of police officers and military personnel, in order to set up a coast and border guard.

The Austrian minister said that Austria, along with Germany and Sweden, had been the countries that carried the greatest burden as a result of the refugee crisis, since they were the final destination of most refugees, whereas Italy and Greece had been mainly transit countries. He admitted, however, that Greece also had a significant burden to bear.

"Greece needs help in whatever concerns protection of the external borders and has also received financial support from the EU," Kurz said, while also stressing the need for reforms leading to fiscal prudence, not just in Greece but throughout the EU.

Replying to criticism over the decision to close the "Balkan Corridor" to refugees, in which Austria played a leading role, Kurz said that this had "generally helped Greece, since in this way the flow of refugees became smaller."

"Fewer people started on the road to Europe. Also, it cannot be in Greece's interests to be a transit country for millions of refugees. Before the Balkan Corridor was closed, 15,000 people were arriving in Greece daily at a critical time. After it was closed, there were not even 1,000 a day. In other words, the closure of the Balkan Corridor had one consequence, the reduction of the flow itself," he said.

[02] Athens Observatory continuing Mars observation in collaboration with National Geographic

It also announced that free tours for the public at the Observatory's Visitors' Centre in Thissio will take place on December 1, 4, 5 and 6 between 20:00 and 22:00, with tickets issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

During the tour, visitors can observe the sky using the historic Doridis telescope on the Pnyx Hill, as well as through two portable telescopes that are available for the public, provided weather conditions allow. They can also see diagrams of Mars observations made by the NOA director and astronomer Dimitris Kokkidis using the Doridis telescope in the second half of the 19th century, as well as Mars pictures taken by the Greek-French astronomer Jean-Henri Focas (Ioannis Focas) from an observatory in France.

Also, for the first time, the observatory will display two historic volumes on Mars observations written by French astronomer Camille Flammarion in the 19th century.

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