The United Nations refugee agency chief on Tuesday said he was "deeply concerned" by the proposed deal between the European Union and Turkey that would involve deporting people back to Turkey in an effort to curb the numbers of migrants reaching Europe, AFP reported.
"As a first reaction I'm deeply concerned about any arrangement that would involve the blanket return of anyone from one country to another without spelling out the refugee protection safeguards under international law," Filippo Grandi, the UNHCR chief told the European Parliament.
At a meeting in Brussels on Monday, EU leaders backed a proposal by Turkey to take back all migrants arriving by boat on the overburdened Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
Turkey also proposed a one-for-one arrangement in which the EU would resettle one Syrian refugee from camps in Turkey in exchange for Syrians returned to Turkey from Greece. The deal is aimed at reducing the incentive for refugees to board boats headed for Europe arranged by smugglers.
Turkey has been the main point of departure for more than one million migrants ane refugees who made the sea crossing to Europe since the beginning of last year. An additional 2.7 million refugees from Syria also live in Turkey.
Grandi criticized the plan for not providing sufficient guarantees under international law.
He said the refugees should only be returned to Turkey if it could be proved that they would, "enjoy asylum in accordance with accepted international standards and have full access to education, work, health care and if necessary social assistance."
Grandi further called for refugees to be screened before being sent away "to identify highly at-risk categories that may not be appropriate for return even if the above conditions are met."
