World

Egypt billionaire offers to buy Med island for refugees

Naguib Sawiris says he would approach governments of Greece and Italy about his plan

Afp September 04, 2015

Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris said his plan to buy a Mediterranean island for refugees would cost up to $100 million. PHOTO: AFP

CAIRO: Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris has offered to buy an island off Greece or Italy and develop it to help hundreds of thousands of people fleeing from Syria and other conflicts.

The telecoms tycoon first announced the initiative on Twitter.

"Greece or Italy sell me an island, I'll call its independence and host the migrants and provide jobs for them building their new country," he wrote.

More than 2,300 people have died at sea trying to reach Europe since January, many of them Syrians who fled their country's four-and-a-half year conflict.

Sawiris said in a television interview that he would approach the governments of Greece and Italy about his plan.

Asked by AFP whether he believed it could work, he said: "Of course it's feasible."

"You have dozens of islands which are deserted and could accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees."

Sawiris said an island off Greece or Italy could cost between $10 million and $100 million, but added the "main thing is investment in infrastructure".

There would be "temporary shelters to house the people, then you start employing the people to build housing, schools, universities, hospitals.

"And if things improve, whoever wants to go back (to their homeland) goes back," said Sawiris, whose family developed the popular El Gouna resort on Egypt's Red Sea coast.

He conceded such a plan could face challenges, including the likely difficulty of persuading Greece or Italy to sell an island, and figuring out jurisdiction and customs regulations.

But those who took shelter would be treated as "human beings," he said. "The way they are being treated now, they are being treated like cattle."

Sawiris is the chief executive of Orascom TMT, which operates mobile telephone networks in a number of Middle Eastern and African countries plus Korea as well as underwater communications networks.

He also owns an Egyptian television channel.

COMMENTS (6)

Areyousure | 8 years ago | Reply Dear Vinson just to add little information into ur account... Pakistan sharin its border with Afghanistan, hence becomes the country accommodating the highest number of refugees in the world from Afghanistan. I wish we were that close to Syria. May Allah have mercy on them all.

sherry ruffing | 8 years ago | Reply This would be like a gift from God for these tragic refugees. They are being treated like cattle. To build a new country for themselves would give them back there dignity. My father was Syrian & would be in tears in not knowing what happened to his nieces & nephews. Thank god he's passed on. My mother was German & brought my dads sister here once as they hadn't seen each other since they were babies. My dad wanted so much for her to stay but she had a husband(an Turk who converted to Christian & became an Orthodox priest). And children & grandchildren. After my parents died I lost contact with them, since I don't speak Arabic. It hurts me to not know what has happened to them. I pray that they will sell him the island for all those desperate people. I pray that my cousins aren't among them. God be praised.