Prague, July 16 (CTK) – The Czech Republic might start choosing the first immigrants whom it will accept in refugee camps in Jordan and Kurdistan at the turn of August and church representatives could help with the process on the spot, Interior Minister Milan Chovanec told reporters yesterday.
The churches have also offered that the foreign immigrants could stay in their facilities at the beginning, Chovanec (senior government Social Democrats, CSSD) said after a meeting with representatives of the Czech Bishops’ Conference and the Ecumenical Council of Churches.
“The selection on the spot will start as soon as the EU agrees to launch this project. If everything si completed within two weeks, the selection may start at the end of August and the beginning of September,” Chovanec said.
The EU member states’ interior ministers should negotiate about the acceptance of refugees on Monday. The talks of the EU prime ministers would follow.
The Czech government recently agreed to accept 1,500 refugees by the end of 2017.
Christian churches have offered not only to help choose refugees, but also to secure care and their possible integration.
“At present we are talking about several buildings mainly of monasteries and convents that are not used yesterday. After some minor adjustments, they could accommodate hundreds of people,” Czech Bishops’ Conference secretary Tomas Holub said.
Other Christian churches may offer their capacities, too, said Daniel Fajfr, head of the Ecumenical Council of Churches.
Fajfr said the churches want to help those in need, not only Christians.
The migration wave has been strengthening, Chovanec said.
After tightened security measures were taken recently, the police first detained 15 illegal migrants a day, on Wednesday it was about 50 and yesterday some 30, he added.
Most of the detained foreigners say their target country is Germany and they usually get to the Czech Republic from Greece via Hungary and Austria.
“Their numbers have been rising and the problem must be solved in cooperation with European countries. No one in this country probably wishes the Czech Republic to close the border and be surrounded with barbed wire,” Chovanec said.
He said the Czech centres for migrants will be full soon.
The Czech Republic can return the migrants to the countries from which they came, most often Austria, but the Austrian facilities for refugees are full as well, Chovanec said.
The Austrians used to take over the migrants from Czechs within one or two days, but now it is up to one week, he added.
Mobile cabins started to be used and further 120 refugees can be accommodated thanks to them, but new refugee facilities need to be opened, Chovanec said.
The Czech government approved the reopening of refugee facilities in Vysni Lhoty, north Moravia, and Balkova, west Bohemia.
Further talks attended by representatives of the interior, labour and social affairs and industry and trade ministries, churches, regions, municipalities and tripartite will take place on Friday.
hol/dr/kva
