Chief Swiss Official on a Delicate Eritrea Mission
Software Translation from German
www.tagblatt.ch | March 29, 2017
The Deputy of the State Secretariat for Migration and Diplomats from EU countries is putting pressure on Eritrea for the return of asylum seekers. So far only a few have voluntarily returned home.
At the beginning of the year, ranghohe diplomats from Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Sweden traveled to Asmara for talks with the Eritrean government. The four states, which are among the most important target countries of Eritrean refugees, hope that they will achieve more together. Last week, a joint delegation was again held at the Horn of Africa. They met Presidential Advisor Yemane Gebreab and Foreign Minister Osman Saleh. For Switzerland, the head of the Department of Sub-Saharan Africa of the Foreign Department and Vincenzo Mascioli, Vice Director of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), took part; This is confirmed by a speaker on request.
Simonetta Sommaruga (SP), the former personal assistant to the Minister of Justice, has been in charge since the beginning of the year of international cooperation, which is responsible for the return of rejected asylum seekers. The Federal Administrative Court recently supported the federal government in a basic decision, which in 2016 intensified the practice for Eritrea. This did little, however, since recirculations are only possible voluntarily. According to the SEM, eleven Eritreans returned to their homeland last year. By way of comparison: in 2015 alone, asylum applied for 10’000 people in Switzerland.
First positive signals, deep expectations
The migration was one of the four topics of the talks that Mascioli and the delegation in Asmara led with government representatives. The issue of the return was also addressed, says SEM spokesman Lukas Rieder. Eritrea does not allow any refugees to be forced to return from any European state. Norway tried unsuccessfully to negotiate an agreement. This is not an issue at the moment. But there are at least small positive signals. The parties agreed that the discussions on migration and human rights should be deepened. In some cases, the Eritrean authorities have answered identity requests to rejected asylum seekers, as the SEM confirms. Identification is often difficult as refugees from countries such as Sudan indicate a false origin,
According to Urs von Arb, the predecessor of SEM’s vice-director, Mascioli, in 2015, after an Eritrean mission, he concluded that the country is not North Korea. Civilian politicians have long demanded that Berne negotiate with Asmara about a return agreement, while leftists are skeptical. Whether or not there is movement depends mainly on the Eritrean regime. Observers warn against high expectations. The influence of Western states is limited, even with an expansion of development aid. China, for example, has granted the isolated country interest-free loans.
As a result, asylum seekers from Eritreans fell slightly earlier this year compared to 2016. These are still the largest refugee group in Switzerland. The most important causes of massive migration are the lack of prospects and the national service. The delegation of the four like-minded states also asked Asmara to explain its operation.
Source: http://www.eastafro.com/2017/03/29/swiss-secretariat-for-migration-and-eu-diplomats-pressure-eritrea-to-return-asylum-seekers/
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