Greece (as an ally) fought bravely in ww2 with tremendous losses. UK and US found a lot of gold and other treasures that nazi’s had looted from the european countries that were occupated during the war. It was nice of them to give something back to these countries that were completly destroyed by the war.

If not anything else, it’s funny to cite US as a country welcoming greek immigrants (aka greek intruders). US had soooo much better care for the greek immigrants. And at this moment we speak, US is the moooost beloved country in the world, I think we certainly need to take some lessons from the US on how to treat third world countries and their people.

Oh, the nerve of some.

Will, no need to be cynical. Unfortunately others seem to forget some of the aspects of American foreign policy and rather focus on the parts they choose best. To simply declare Bush, his administration or the media as scapegoats is not good enough. The American voters have their own share of resposibility, just like the German people had for Nazi Germany.

I think there is a strong element of denial and confusion within ordinary Americans regarding their countrys’ foreign policy. I cant accept the sweeping generalizations of many Europeans but even very recently, polls show that a very large portion of the American public *still* believe that Iraq and its dictator Sadam( once a close all of the US) were direclty involved with 9/11?!

I dont deny the fact that the likes of Gates or Buffet offer a lot of money for good causes. (Isn’t Buffet the same guy who supported Schwarzenegger for Governor of California?) I am though very sceptical regarding the source of a lot of American wealth and more specifically the illegitimate practices of many American corporations in foreign lands.

One day Dick Cheney may offer half his wealth to poor nations but we cant ignore the fact that a lot of that wealth is tainted with the blood of innocent people and stolen from the American people by Halliburton.

I will delete off-topic comments.

I apologise for not being here and moderating the discussions so much lately. I have a lot of other things going on in my “real” life.

There are a few steps being taken behind the scenes tp help the people in Chios (that I cannot share publically)
Please let me know of any other offers of help/ideas that you have. Email me if you don’t want to post them here. Details at the top of the page.

Thank you

Ok, thanks for reminding us that America is bad.

But, the mistake that many knee-jerk anti-american views make is that they paint America with a broad brush stroke when many just want to vent on Bush and his administration.

Please don’t forget the generous contributions of the private sector of America who give tons of money to charities around the world and has nothing to do with Bush and his wars. (Remember, many Americans are upset with him too).

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are two of the richest men in America, if not the world and do alot to help people in need.

If you are going to address American generosity in general around the world, you should also address the global military presence, the wars that the US has been and is currently engaged in, the exports in weapons and military technology, the selective collaboration with dictators and undemocratic regimes and so on..

I am pretty sure that if you add all the resources that just went on the current wars the US is engaged, in as well as the resources lost and destroyed in other countries it will exceed by far all the good it has offered in recent years.

Policies Should Ensure Rights Protection for Migrants, Asylum Seekers

(Brussels, October 17, 2006) European Union efforts to shift responsibility for migration to countries beyond EU borders threaten the human rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today. On Friday, European leaders are expected to discuss migration at an EU informal summit in Lahti, Finland.

Current EU migration polices are largely focused on keeping migrants and asylum seekers outside EU borders. However, these policies have failed to ensure that the rights of migrants and asylum seekers are respected, particularly in neighboring transit countries to the east or across the Mediterranean.

Migration poses immense challenges for EU countries, both at home and abroad,said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. But shirking responsibility for the rights of migrants and asylum seekers is not the answer.

EU efforts to develop common policies on migration and asylum inside its borders have come under increasing criticism, including from the European Parliament. The Human Rights Watch briefing paper concentrates on the less well-known externaldimension of the EUs efforts, which rely on a mixture of assistance and pressure in order to shift responsibility for refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers to transit countries, such as Ukraine or Libya, and regions of origin.

The European Union is pressing neighboring states to take on greater responsibility for migration. The case of Ukraine, detailed in the briefing paper, illustrates the ways in which many neighboring countries are already incapable of fulfilling their basic obligations, including proper access to asylum, adequate conditions of detention, and protection from return to torture or persecution. Like most other neighboring countries, Ukraine is keen on closer ties with the European Union. But EU pressure on Ukraine to detain, host, and accept the return of ever-greater numbers of migrants is not matched by an emphasis by Brussels on refugee protection and migrants rights. Greater cooperation from Ukraine may exacerbate its already poor record on migrant and refugee rights.

If the EU wants other countries to take more responsibility for migration, it has to start by making sure they are up to the task,said Cartner. And it needs to set a positive example by living up to its own obligations towards migrants and asylum seekers.

The most controversial dimension of the EU externalization agenda processing asylum-seekers outside the EU apparently has been shelved. But the European Union remains committed to outsourcingboth control of migration and the determination of asylum. Current components of this approach include:

the refusal of entry into EU territory of asylum-seekers who come from countries designated as safe countries of originor transit through countries deemed to be safe third countries;

the interdiction at sea of persons attempting to reach EU territory;

the conclusion of readmission agreementswith countries outside the European Union, by which the countries agree to accept the return from EU territory of migrants and asylum seekers who transited through their territory en route to the European Union; and

support to border enforcement and detention capacity in neighboring transit countries.

The European Union has also proposed an approach offering development aid and humanitarian assistance to increase the ability of countries outside the EU to host refugees from the region through a European Commission-designed Regional Protection Programme. Whether such efforts genuinely improve protection capacity, or are used instead as a pretext by EU states to deny access to asylum in the EU and return those at risk to what are deemed safe countries,will be a fundamental test of the European Unions commitment to its obligations toward refugees and others in need of protection.

To view the Human Rights Watch briefing paper, European Union: Managing Migration Means Potential EU Complicity in Neighboring StatesAbuse of Migrants and Refugees,please visit:

http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/eu1006/

Apparently, you are driven also by logical fallacy. GDP???

The common sense truth is that the majority of foreign aid of the world comes from the USA. Anyone saying different is just anti-american, and really we just don’t care. Will we (USA) stop giving aid just because of ungrateful people? NO, we won’t.

People like you S.G. are just jealous of the states, and in Greece what is called “Axharistos”.

So, go back and watch your Alter TV and make yourself feel good believing that America is a bad country!

P.S. The Marshall plan was roughly 50 years ago, not 100 years, but I’m sure you’ll have some excuse on how time has passed. Well, ask your grandfather if the food the USA gave him was rejected???

So, why don’t you start sharing the wealth.”

this kind of talk is unacceptable… especially by people who obviously have no idea what they are talking about

first of all, the immigration problem is in fact a EU problem and the EU has failed to take care of its responsibilities. The immigration pressure in Greece, Italy and Spain is extremely high because there are people coming not only to stay these countries but with the purpose of going to the rest of the EU too. But the rest has so far failed to lift its share of the burden.

I am appalled by the behaviour of some Greek authorities, but cant stand the lecturing from people who have done nothing better themselves.

And while I am an open borders advocate, comparing the US 100 years ago with Greece or Europe now is ridiculous. The US NEEDED immigrants to fill its huge underpopulated expanse of land. Nobody can say the same about the EU today. Or even some densely populated parts of the Us in fact, which are not very accommodating to immigrants nowadays.

Lastly, if you are going to play the “sensitive bleeding heart” card, check what is the humanitarian foreing aid of the US as a percentage of GDP comparing with any EU country (Greece inlcuded). Then tell me about helping others and sharing the wealth…