Brussels, 27/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - Amnesty International has severely criticised the British proposal to create external processing centres for asylum seekers outside the European Union. This proposal will be discussed at the informal JHA Council in Veria (EUROPE 25 March p 9) and according to the human rights protection organisation, contravenes the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1951 Refugee Convention regime". According to the methods that still need to be worked out, the United Kingdom is suggesting that asylum seeker centres are set up outside the borders of the European Union on the routes followed by the asylum candidates, such as Ukraine, Albania and Romania. The British government (whose goal is to half the number of asylum seekers on its territory) is proposing to create "regional protection zones" in regions close to the zones where substantial numbers of asylum seekers come from, such as Turkey, for example.
Amnesty International believes that the British proposal is "unduly restricting the scope of Member States' obligations regarding international human rights law" and points out that signatories to the 1951 Convention are committed to protecting asylum seekers who arrive on their territory and should not restrict their freedom of movement or put them outside of their territory in strictest respect of international rules. The human rights NGO also considers that the proposal will create two classes of asylum seekers: the rich and powerful countries which will be able to select those it accepts as refugees and the others, which will be obliged to take a large number of them in, including those deported from the rich countries. Amnesty also points to the danger of repeating the "Sangatte syndrome" if asylum seekers are regrouped in centres on Europe's borders. Amnesty International is calling on the UNHCR, which has not yet make any official comment on the matter, to not be involved in the displacement of refugees from a territory where they benefit from a high level of protection to another where there is less protection. The director of Amnesty's European office stressed that it was incredible that a "proposal to strengthen Fortress Europe" was being debated the moment when war in Iraq could lead many people to flee their country. He also added that it was even more misplace given that the proposal was on the initiative of a Member State that was participating in military action in Iraq.