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UNHCR official cautiously welcomes NATO anti migrant-trafficking mission

Xinhua, February 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

The director of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Europe Bureau Vincent Cochetel on Friday welcomed NATO efforts to combat human smuggling and trafficking in the Eastern Mediterranean, while iterating that more information was needed to determine the exact nature of missions to be carried out.

"We want to see what will be the standard operating procedure for people rescued at sea, where they will be disembarked, whether there will be differentiated treatment between people in need of international protection or not, how practically that can be done and what will be the rules of engagement," Cochetel said.

"It's important for us to increase efforts to combat human smuggling, but that those efforts do not undermine the institution of asylum for people in need of international protection," he added.

The remarks follow a decision by NATO Defense Ministers on Thursday to to assist the migrant and refugee crisis by stemming illegal trafficking and migration in the Aegean Sea.

According to the UNHCR official, the precise modalities of NATO's naval operation have yet to be determined though missions are expected to be confined to Turkish territorial waters.

Intelligence sharing to combat the trafficking network is also expected together with possible rescue missions carried out by naval assets in coordination with Turkish authorities.

"It has not been said in the statement what deterrence of illegal migration means exactly, the devil is in the detail," Cochetel highlighted.

NATO on Thursday said the 28-member military alliance in cooperation with national coastguards and the European Union, were working out the details of the mission. Endit