Feature: Refugees in Greek border disappointed by EU-Turkey deal

Mixed feelings, ranging from hope to disappointment and despair, have overwhelmed the refugees that survived both the war and the perilous sea crossing into Europe only to find themselves forgotten in the Greek-FYROM border village of Idomeni, after Friday's controversial deal between European Union leaders and Turkey.

The deal intends to stem one of the biggest migratory flows since World War II of people fleeing conflict, but most of the 12,000 refugees and migrants stranded for weeks at Idomeni, clinging to hopes the Balkan route used for months by migrants heading for central Europe will reopen, are determined to stay put despite the accord.

Meanwhile, Greek police and aid agencies appeal for the 12,000 refugees to leave the camp. "The border is closed. At reception centers you will find food and a place to stay. Do not trust irresponsible people who will put your life in danger. Do not suffer for no reason," the leaflet that the police has been distributing since yesterday says.

Instead, refugees are being advised to sign up to an EU plan under which 160,000 refugees stuck in Greece and Italy will be resettled in other EU countries.

Nevertheless, since the plan was announced six months ago, less than 1,000 people have been relocated and at the Idomeni camp there is no clear sign of mass interest among the refugees and migrants stranded there.

Few people are aware of their options as rumors and false information swirl around the encampment while UN officials at the site call for a more coordinated action by the EU.

"The EU needs to move faster," says Babar Baloch, a high UNHCR official in Idomeni.

Khaled, 24, left Alleppo a few months ago with a single aim to go to Germany where his mother has been living for the past six months.

He said that he doesn't intend to apply for the relocation program because he is afraid that he will not end up reuniting with her.

"I don't want other people to decide about my future. I am sure that the relocation is just a trap to get us out of here," Khaled told Xinhua.

His friend Ahmed said that the Europeans are only trying to blackmail refugees by imposing the relocation program as the sole way to get them to Europe.

"It's like a blackmail. Either you register or you find yourself back to Syria where you face death," he mumbled while punching his hand on the railway tracks.

Unlike Khaled and Ahmed, 16-year-old Hala who was severely wounded in the face during the bombings in Syria and her mother said they will apply for the relocation program with the hope to reunite with the rest of the family.

They were convinced to leave Idomeni and go back to Athens only after the news that arrived last night from Brussels were not the ones that she expected.

"The EU-Turkey summit was my last hope," she said as she was preparing her things to leave the camp in the following days.

Nevertheless, despite the cold and the mud at Idomeni's camp, the vast majority of the refugees refuse to give up and what remains to be answered is how the Greek authorities will deal with the situation and turn the decisions taken on Friday in Brussels into action.

At the same time, Idomeni, a once quiet place that has turned into one of the main migrant crisis spots, seeks its own moment of peace.

"We feel sorry for all these that the refugees are going through and we invest all efforts to help them. Nevertheless, concrete measures should be taken to put an order to this chaotic situation," Xanthoula Soupli, the president of the local community said. Enditem