Greece vows refugee transfer as camp baby photo emerges

The Greek minister for refugees has vowed to move people from a squalid camp on the Macedonian border within a week, as a photo emerged of a baby who had been born in one of the crowded tents, reports the Guardian. The arresting image showed the infant being washed with a bottle of water over bare earth outside the makeshift dwellings at the Idomeni refugee camp, where more than 12,000 people are living in deteriorating conditions in the hope of crossing the Greek border. Dimitris Vitsas, the minister charged with coordinating the refugee situation, reiterated the government’s promise to move the stranded men, women and children to reception centres within a week. “I hope the situation at Idomeni is resolved within a week without recourse to force,” Vitsas told the country’s Mega TV station on Saturday. Greece will have capacity for 50,000 people in the reception centres, 10,000 more than currently available. Vitsas said the government hoped to convince refugees to accept the transfers to reception centres, with 400 having moved to facilities in northern Greece on Friday.

Greece vows refugee transfer as camp baby photo emerges

The Greek minister for refugees has vowed to move people from a squalid camp on the Macedonian border within a week, as a photo emerged of a baby who had been born in one of the crowded tents, reports the Guardian. The arresting image showed the infant being washed with a bottle of water over bare earth outside the makeshift dwellings at the Idomeni refugee camp, where more than 12,000 people are living in deteriorating conditions in the hope of crossing the Greek border. Dimitris Vitsas, the minister charged with coordinating the refugee situation, reiterated the governments promise to move the stranded men, women and children to reception centres within a week. I hope the situation at Idomeni is resolved within a week without recourse to force, Vitsas told the countrys Mega TV station on Saturday. Greece will have capacity for 50,000 people in the reception centres, 10,000 more than currently available. Vitsas said the government hoped to convince refugees to accept the transfers to reception centres, with 400 having moved to facilities in northern Greece on Friday.