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For Deporting Refugees: Security Threat Cancels German and Austrian Ministers' Visit to Damascus
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The cancellation of the visit underscores the sensitivity of the Syrian refugee deportation issue, as European governments continue searching for a middle ground between security concerns and humanita
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and her Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner have canceled a planned visit to Damascus today after receiving security intelligence about a potential threat.
A German Air Force plane was scheduled to take off from Jordan to transport the minister and her accompanying delegation to Syria, but the flight was abruptly canceled.
A spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry stated that security warnings from Berlin indicated direct risks to both the German and Austrian delegations, prompting the minister to cancel the trip in coordination with her Austrian counterpart.
The spokesperson added that "the specific risks reported made it impossible to ignore the security threat," noting that the danger might have been directed at the European delegations and the security forces assigned to protect them.
According to the German news agency DPA, the visit was set to include meetings with officials from the "Syrian transitional government" as well as representatives from UN-affiliated relief organizations. Discussions were expected to focus on security issues and the return of certain Syrian refugees, particularly those classified as security threats in Germany and Austria.
The visit had been prepared under strict security measures and was not publicly announced in advance to mitigate potential risks. This comes at a time when the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees continues to freeze decisions on Syrian asylum applications due to the ongoing instability in Syria.
