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GENEVA / GUTERRES LIBYA
STORY: GENEVA / GUTERRES LIBYA
TRT: 3:07
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 1-2 MARCH 2011, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / RECENT
RECENT - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, exterior UNHCR headquarters
2. Med shot, UN and UNHCR flags
2 MARCH 2011, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
3. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
It’s a dramatic humanitarian situation, in few days, more than 100,000 people crossed the border, many were Tunisians, Egyptians, but there were also Libyans running out of the country because of the conflict, there are nationals of other countries. And the pressure is such and the lack of capacity to respond to this pressure and to respond to the needs of these people, this lack of capacity is so dramatic, that it’s absolutely essential to immediately do a massive humanitarian evacuation.”
1 MARCH 2011, RAJ AJEDIR, TUNISIA-LIBYA BORDER
4. Various shots, people struggling to cross the border into Tunisia
2 MARCH 2011, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
5. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
“We have tens of thousands of Egyptians, of people from different countries of Asia different countries in Africa that want to go home and it is vital to bring them home. And, so we need planes, to move to Egypt, we need boats. We ask countries to put theses assets at our disposal.”
1 MARCH 2011, RAJ AJEDIR, TUNISIA-LIBYA BORDER
6. Various shots, people struggling to cross the border into Tunisia
2 MARCH 2011, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
7. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
“The biggest tragedy of the Libyan people itself, the Libyan people is suffering so much, it’s absolutely essential to stop this carnage. At the same time, we have also in Libya, lots of Africans and because of the fact that the government used African mercenaries in the fighting, there is a risk of people making confusion and blaming all Africans, to be linked to this operation and of course the overwhelming majority are innocent people that are working in Libya and some of them are not even having a country to go back.”
1 MARCH 2011, RAS JDIR, TUNISIA
8. Various shots, Tunisians throwing water and food across border into Libya to thousands of people trying to cross the border
2 MARCH 2011, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
9. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations:
“If some people will cross the Mediterranean, Libyans for instance, if this turn to a full fledge civil war, it’s very important that Europe also assumes its responsibility as a continent of asylum. I have recommended to the European Council of Minister of Justice of affairs when I was in Brussels last week, if there is a massive flow of Libyans fleeing conflict into Europe, my suggestion is to use the European legislation that allow for a temporary protection regime to be established, that’s probably the most practical way to guarantee protection for these people.”
2 MARCH 2011, CHOUCHA RAS DJIR, TUNISIA-LIBYA BORDER
10. Wide shot, UNHCR camp
11. Wide shot, men carrying mattresses
12. Zoom out, crowds walking in the camp
The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for an immediate “massive humanitarian evacuation” of the more than 100,000 people from Libya who had fled to neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt in recent weeks.
In an interview at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva yesterday (2 Mar), António Guterres called both the humanitarian situation and the lack of capacity to respond to the crisis along the Libyan border “dramatic.”
UNHCR reported that more than 8,000 refugees and 3,000 asylum-seekers are now registered with the agency in Libya but the real figure is believed to be higher.
Guterres added there are people from different countries in Asia as well as Africa who “want to go home” and called for planes and boats to aid in their return.
UNHCR has appealed to Governments to urgently supply massive financial and logistical assets, including planes, boats and expert personnel.
On Tuesday, UNHCR voiced concern that a large number of sub-Saharan Africans were not being allowed entry into Tunisia. And yesterday (2 Mar), the Geneva-based UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination called on the international community to seek urgent measures to protect non-citizens, migrant populations, migrant workers, refugees and other minority groups in Libya.
Guterres noted that since the Libyan government had used African mercenaries “there is a risk of people making confusion and blaming all Africans” in the country.
He added that the “overwhelming majority are innocent people that are working in Libya and some of them are not even having a country to go back (to).”
Guterres urged Europe to resume “its responsibility as a continent of asylum.”
He added that he had met with the European Council suggesting “a temporary protection regime to be established” to guarantee the protection of Libyans fleeing to Europe.
In the meantime, according to UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 50 flights are being planned to take migrant workers, mostly Egyptians, back home.
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