By AFP – Sep 15,2015 –
CAIRO — Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris, who offered to buy a Mediterranean island to help hundreds of thousands of Syrians fleeing war, said Monday he was in talks to buy two private Greek islands.
The businessman announced earlier this month he was looking to buy an island which would “host the migrants and provide jobs for them building their new country”.
More than 2,300 people have died at sea trying to reach Europe since January, many of them Syrians fleeing their country’s four-and-a-half year conflict.
A statement from Sawiris’ company on Monday said he had “identified two privately owned Greek islands that constitute a good opportunity for the project”.
“We have corresponded with the owners and expressed our interest to go into negotiation with them,” it said.
The tycoon said he had been approached by the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR to cooperate on the project, which he estimates would require $100 million (90 million euros) to get off the ground.
– See more at: http://www.jordantimes.com/news/region/egypt-tycoon-talks-buy-two-islands-refugees%E2%80%99#sthash.gafWGS28.dpuf
Categories: Africa, Arab World, Europe
Not sure if all that many Syrians will be happy to be stuck on some small Greek Island. Let’s wait and see. in any case, the intention is good.
Interesting. The article carefully omits the fact that the billionaire tycoon is a Christian, the most persecuted group, not only in Egypt but throughout the muhammadan world. In spite of that he has done what the ‘brothers’ of the refugees are unwilling to do. If they are negative to the plight of their own people, who will they want to rescue? It shows clearly who understands the meaning of ‘compassion’.