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| Turkey Places Conditions on E.U. for Migrant Help | |
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| BRUSSELS — Turkey surprised European Union leaders on Monday by hitting them with a new set of demands if it is to help stem the flow of refugees from Syria and Iraq and other migrants seeking to enter Europe. | BRUSSELS — Turkey surprised European Union leaders on Monday by hitting them with a new set of demands if it is to help stem the flow of refugees from Syria and Iraq and other migrants seeking to enter Europe. |
| At the start of an emergency summit meeting here, Turkey’s prime minister asked for billions of euros in new assistance, easier access to visas for Turks to go to Europe and the dramatic acceleration of talks on Turkey’s membership in the bloc, a discussion that has languished for years. | At the start of an emergency summit meeting here, Turkey’s prime minister asked for billions of euros in new assistance, easier access to visas for Turks to go to Europe and the dramatic acceleration of talks on Turkey’s membership in the bloc, a discussion that has languished for years. |
| The toughening of the Turkish position underscored Ankara’s apparent attempt to win more support from Europe if it is going to be expected to insulate the bloc from tens of thousands of new asylum seekers. | The toughening of the Turkish position underscored Ankara’s apparent attempt to win more support from Europe if it is going to be expected to insulate the bloc from tens of thousands of new asylum seekers. |
| The Turkish demands laid bare the European Union’s weakening position and signaled that the difficulties — and costs — of managing the crisis might only rise the longer it stumbled on. | The Turkish demands laid bare the European Union’s weakening position and signaled that the difficulties — and costs — of managing the crisis might only rise the longer it stumbled on. |
| Hoping to avoid a repeat of last year, when hundreds of thousands of refugees overwhelmed authorities from Greece to Germany and beyond, European leaders were weighing whether to declare “closed” the route migrants have taken through the Balkans to Western Europe. | Hoping to avoid a repeat of last year, when hundreds of thousands of refugees overwhelmed authorities from Greece to Germany and beyond, European leaders were weighing whether to declare “closed” the route migrants have taken through the Balkans to Western Europe. |
| But such a step threatens to bottle up migrants in Greece, and has sharply divided European leaders, with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany reluctant to burden Greece, which is trying to regain its economic footing after a crippling six-year debt crisis. | But such a step threatens to bottle up migrants in Greece, and has sharply divided European leaders, with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany reluctant to burden Greece, which is trying to regain its economic footing after a crippling six-year debt crisis. |
| “You end up in situations like this when you have neglected to build the capacity to deal with the bigger issues of our time,” said Fredrik Erixon, the director of the European Center for International Political Economy, a research group in Brussels. | “You end up in situations like this when you have neglected to build the capacity to deal with the bigger issues of our time,” said Fredrik Erixon, the director of the European Center for International Political Economy, a research group in Brussels. |
| “Turkey now is going to raise the costs for Europe,” he added, “and to such an extent that Europe may not be able to oppose Turkish goals in the region, including how to deal with Syria and the Kurds.” | “Turkey now is going to raise the costs for Europe,” he added, “and to such an extent that Europe may not be able to oppose Turkish goals in the region, including how to deal with Syria and the Kurds.” |
| Turkey is fighting Islamic extremists across its border with Syria as part of an international coalition that includes the United States, and it is confronting Kurdish militias that the Turks say are a similarly terroristic threat. | Turkey is fighting Islamic extremists across its border with Syria as part of an international coalition that includes the United States, and it is confronting Kurdish militias that the Turks say are a similarly terroristic threat. |
| As the meeting in Brussels got underway, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu reiterated calls for a “safe zone” in Syria where migrants could be free from the violence that has torn the country apart over the last five years. | As the meeting in Brussels got underway, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu reiterated calls for a “safe zone” in Syria where migrants could be free from the violence that has torn the country apart over the last five years. |
| In a televised speech on Monday, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the country had spent $10 billion caring for the Syrian refugees. He said the European Union had been slow to disburse the 3 billion euros (about $3.3 billion) it already pledged to assist refugees in Turkey. “The prime minister is in Brussels right now,” Mr. Erdogan said of Mr. Davutoglu. “I hope he returns with that money.” | In a televised speech on Monday, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the country had spent $10 billion caring for the Syrian refugees. He said the European Union had been slow to disburse the 3 billion euros (about $3.3 billion) it already pledged to assist refugees in Turkey. “The prime minister is in Brussels right now,” Mr. Erdogan said of Mr. Davutoglu. “I hope he returns with that money.” |
| The additional money, amounting to about 3 billion euros, that Turkey requested on Monday was a precondition for curbing new migrants from crossing the Aegean Sea to reach Europe. | The additional money, amounting to about 3 billion euros, that Turkey requested on Monday was a precondition for curbing new migrants from crossing the Aegean Sea to reach Europe. |
| Mr. Davutoglu also surprised European leaders in a negotiating session that dragged on into Monday morning by putting Turkey’s attempts to join the European Union — a process known as accession — on the agenda. | Mr. Davutoglu also surprised European leaders in a negotiating session that dragged on into Monday morning by putting Turkey’s attempts to join the European Union — a process known as accession — on the agenda. |
| “Turkey is ready to work with the E.U.,” Mr. Davutoglu said on Monday. “Turkey is ready to be a member of the E.U. as well.” He added: “I hope this summit, which will not focus only on irregular migration but also on the Turkish accession process to the E.U., will be a success story and a turning point in our relations.” | “Turkey is ready to work with the E.U.,” Mr. Davutoglu said on Monday. “Turkey is ready to be a member of the E.U. as well.” He added: “I hope this summit, which will not focus only on irregular migration but also on the Turkish accession process to the E.U., will be a success story and a turning point in our relations.” |
| Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, which represents the leaders of the 28-nation European Union, included language about closing the Balkan route in a draft of a summit meeting statement, reinforcing his blunt warning last week to migrants who are seeking a better life in Europe but are not eligible for political asylum. | Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, which represents the leaders of the 28-nation European Union, included language about closing the Balkan route in a draft of a summit meeting statement, reinforcing his blunt warning last week to migrants who are seeking a better life in Europe but are not eligible for political asylum. |
| Ms. Merkel said on Monday that “we want to fight illegal immigration and that is only possible in cooperation with Turkey,” but she, in particular, is concerned about trapping the migrants in Greece if other options are cut off, and about renewed turmoil there after a debt crisis nearly forced the country out of the eurozone. There are 13,000 migrants stuck on the Greek border with Macedonia. | Ms. Merkel said on Monday that “we want to fight illegal immigration and that is only possible in cooperation with Turkey,” but she, in particular, is concerned about trapping the migrants in Greece if other options are cut off, and about renewed turmoil there after a debt crisis nearly forced the country out of the eurozone. There are 13,000 migrants stuck on the Greek border with Macedonia. |
| Germany also has been sharply at odds with a neighbor, Austria, after the government in Vienna restricted the flow of migrants, threatening the bloc’s system of passport-free travel. | Germany also has been sharply at odds with a neighbor, Austria, after the government in Vienna restricted the flow of migrants, threatening the bloc’s system of passport-free travel. |
| Ms. Merkel was reportedly resisting the wording of Mr. Tusk’s statement about closing the Balkan route. | Ms. Merkel was reportedly resisting the wording of Mr. Tusk’s statement about closing the Balkan route. |
| Others would like to see European borders stay shut. | Others would like to see European borders stay shut. |
| “If we bring migrants from Greece or Turkey directly into Europe, that’s an invitation to waltz,” Hungary’s right-wing prime minister, Viktor Orban, told reporters here. He added: “Borders must be closed, and direct resettlement is out of the question, at least as far as Hungary is concerned.” | “If we bring migrants from Greece or Turkey directly into Europe, that’s an invitation to waltz,” Hungary’s right-wing prime minister, Viktor Orban, told reporters here. He added: “Borders must be closed, and direct resettlement is out of the question, at least as far as Hungary is concerned.” |
| Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, where voters will decide on June 23 on whether to remain in the European Union, said on Twitter that “I’m making clear the U.K.’s special status means we keep our own strong borders.” He added: “The U.K. will not join a common asylum process in Europe — we have an absolutely rock solid opt-out.” | Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, where voters will decide on June 23 on whether to remain in the European Union, said on Twitter that “I’m making clear the U.K.’s special status means we keep our own strong borders.” He added: “The U.K. will not join a common asylum process in Europe — we have an absolutely rock solid opt-out.” |
| The record flow of more than one million migrants to the Continent last year exposed the inadequacy of the European Union’s response to the geopolitical and humanitarian crisis triggered by Syria’s civil war. | The record flow of more than one million migrants to the Continent last year exposed the inadequacy of the European Union’s response to the geopolitical and humanitarian crisis triggered by Syria’s civil war. |
| Even with restraints in countries like Austria and Sweden, more than 140,000 people have arrived in the European Union by sea so far this year. | Even with restraints in countries like Austria and Sweden, more than 140,000 people have arrived in the European Union by sea so far this year. |
| Now much of the attention is on how to stop migrants from reaching Europe in the first place — and to distinguish Syrians and Iraqis, whose claims to asylum are generally viewed sympathetically, from migrants who are fleeing poverty and chaos elsewhere. | Now much of the attention is on how to stop migrants from reaching Europe in the first place — and to distinguish Syrians and Iraqis, whose claims to asylum are generally viewed sympathetically, from migrants who are fleeing poverty and chaos elsewhere. |
| For many years, Turkey has ostensibly been a candidate for membership in what is now the European Union, but Mr. Erdogan’s authoritarian turn has made that seem like an ever more distant prospect. Human rights observers reacted angrily to a comment over the weekend in which the German interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, said: “We should not be referees when it comes to human rights.” | For many years, Turkey has ostensibly been a candidate for membership in what is now the European Union, but Mr. Erdogan’s authoritarian turn has made that seem like an ever more distant prospect. Human rights observers reacted angrily to a comment over the weekend in which the German interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, said: “We should not be referees when it comes to human rights.” |
| Some critics have said that instead of relying on Turkey, the European Union should focus on helping Greece manage the buildup of people there, while creating an effective coast guard, in cooperation with NATO, to protect the country’s coastlines. | Some critics have said that instead of relying on Turkey, the European Union should focus on helping Greece manage the buildup of people there, while creating an effective coast guard, in cooperation with NATO, to protect the country’s coastlines. |
| But that approach, European officials say, wouldn’t solve the problem of migrants getting on boats in the first place. | But that approach, European officials say, wouldn’t solve the problem of migrants getting on boats in the first place. |